Le Monde is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and has had its website since 1995. It is considered one of the French newspapers of record and is often the only French newspaper easily obtainable in non-French-speaking countries. A 2021 poll found that Le Monde was the most trusted national newspaper in France.
Le Monde was founded in 1944 by Hubert Beuve-Méry at the request of Charles de Gaulle. Most journalists are not only tenured but also financial stakeholders in the enterprise. In 2010, investors Matthieu Pigasse, Pierre Bergé, and Xavier Niel acquired a controlling stake in the newspaper.
It is different from other newspapers such as The New York Times, as it focuses more on offering analysis and opinion rather than being a newspaper of record. On the 10th anniversary of the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, the paper implicated François Mitterrand in the operation. In recent years, Le Monde has made a clear distinction between fact and opinion.
It was founded in 1944 at the request of General Charles de Gaulle. It took over the headquarters and layout of Le Temps, which had been an important newspaper in France. The founder, Beuve-Méry, demanded total editorial independence as part of the project.
In December 2006, Le Monde moved into its new headquarters in Paris. The building was refashioned by Bouygues from the designs of Christian de Portzamparc and has an enormous fresco adorned by doves flying towards Victor Hugo, symbolizing the freedom of the press.
In 2008, Le Monde was found guilty of defamation for saying that Spanish football club FC Barcelona was connected to a doctor involved in steroid use and fined nearly $450,000. In 2016, two Le Monde reporters were denied visas to visit Algeria, causing some French media to boycott the event. Le Monde also published names of Algerian officials linked to the Panama Papers scandal, leading President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to open a libel suit against them which was later
In June 2010, investors Matthieu Pigasse, Pierre Bergé, and Xavier Niel acquired a controlling stake in the newspaper. In October 2018, Czech businessman Daniel Křetínský bought 49% of Pigasse’s stake. The Independence Group, a minority shareholder that protects the paper’s editorial independence, has asked Pigasse and Křetínský to sign an agreement that would give them the right to approve or reject