Writers allege 'Le Monde' sold its soul to gain power

The French journalistic institution Le Monde, celebrated for its sober pages and moralising, centre-left attitudes, will be accused this week of selling its soul, unsuccessfully, to money and power.

A much-awaited, investigative book, printed in secret in Spain and to be published on Wednesday, claims that the leadership of France's most respected newspaper has become obsessed with business expansion, personal moneymaking and power-broking.

The book also accuses the newspaper of covering up its precarious financial position, by posting misleading accounts. As extracts from the book leaked out over the weekend, Le Monde said it would await publication before responding, but already considered itself the victim of a smear campaign. La Face Cachée du Monde (The hidden face of Le Monde), by Philippe Cohen and Pierre Péan, accuses the triumvirate that runs the newspaper of distorting or suppressing information to promote the careers of favoured politicians over the past eight years.

In one example cited in extracts published by the magazine L'Express last week was Le Monde's support for Edouard Balladur, the moderate right-wing Prime Minister who ran for President in 1995. Despite favourable coverage, M. Balladur was defeated in the first round by Jacques Chirac – a man that Le Monde detests.

So much for the power of the press. The 600-page book, already on its second print based on pre-sales of 60,000, also accuses the president of Le Monde, Jean-Marie Colombani, of encouraging a Norwegian company to start a free-sheet newspaper in Paris while criticising the morality of free sheets in the columns of his newspaper.

The book claims that M. Colombani's behaviour in some business transactionsis quite opposed to Le Monde's editorial line – often written by him – extolling "fairness, free competition, honesty and transparency".

The authors also accuse M. Colombani of having taken cash payments from politicians, or the friends and relatives of politicians, to take part in "media training sessions" to prepare them for TV appearances. However, there is nothing illegal about this.

L'Express, which was the subject of a failed takeover bid by Le Monde in 1997, says its extracts are far from the "most cruel or explosive" parts of the book.

There are more revelations promised on Le Monde's coverage of the Rainbow Warrior affair in 1985 and the defeat of the Socialist Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, in last year's presidential election. The authors also seem to have it in for M. Colombani for brightening up the appearance and quality of writing in Le Monde. They accuse the "new" Le Monde of becoming part of the "fast- information" culture. Anyone who has recently read Le Monde will hardly regard this as a serious accusation.