Paris Prosecutor Opens Investigation into Illegal Recording of Private Conversation Between Thomas Legrand and Laurence Bloch

The Paris prosecutor's office has launched a formal investigation following journalist Thomas Legrand's complaint about the illegal recording of a private conversation between him and Laurence Bloch, the former head of France Inter. Legrand filed the complaint in late December on grounds of invasion of privacy, leading to the case being assigned to the Brigade de répression de la délinquance contre la personne (BRDP), which is also handling a similar clandestine video recording case from last year involving political figures and journalists, including Legrand himself.

Legrand alleges that media outlets Europe 1 and CNews improperly retained, disclosed, and used the recording without consent, further accusing them of spreading false information that misrepresented the conversation's context. He described the meeting with Bloch as a private exchange between friends, denouncing the unauthorized recording as "espionage."

The issue came to public attention after CNews and Europe 1 aired content suggesting details of the conversation, raising serious questions about privacy rights and media ethics in France. Legrand had previously expressed concerns about the mischaracterization of his conversation during a parliamentary hearing on public audiovisual media.

This investigation marks a significant step in addressing the ongoing challenges regarding privacy violations and media conduct in the French journalism landscape, with authorities now probing the circumstances under which the private dialogue was recorded and disseminated.