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| Logo of the a popular newspaper in Paris translates to The Parisian |
The News in Paris is very important. I find that the three things that are most talked about are Politics, Art (movies, tv shows, exhibits, ect…) and the Weather. Of course there are many well known newspapers in Paris that many of us, throughout our French studies have had to read in online for our classes. They are a great way to get the French perspective on issues around the world and to see what is important to the French people. While in France, my sources of news has been the little newspapers that can be picked up right outside the metro. However the big newspapers here that are the French equivalent to the American newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post, are Le Parisien, Le Figaro, and Le Monde. But because you have to buy those at the newspaper stands I usually stick to picking up either 20 Minutes, Metro or Direct Matin, which are handed out in the morning at the front doors of all the metros.
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| People handing out the newspaper Metro outside a metro station |
These types of newspapers aren’t very different than the similar free daily newspapers that are handed out outside of the metros in Washington DC. They both contain many condensed stories that are easy to get through while on the train to going to work or school. There is always a Politics section as well as an Editorial, World, Sports and Word puzzle section. However what makes them different is the fact that the papers in Paris do in addition to all this an Ile-de-France section (which includes news from the surrounding areas of Paris) and a France section (which gives the goings on in the rest of France). In the French daily papers I also see a lot more articles about plays that are going on in different theaters around Paris now, as well as little snippets about popular music and movies.
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| "Can Donald Trump Win?" |
In the news this past week I have read a lot about the metro, articles about the metro have complained about how certain stations are in need of renovations, others have talked about the possibility of a raise in the price of metro passes, and more have talked about the construction projects underway that are leading to congestion issues. Another theme that I have found particularly interesting are articles that have been keeping the Parisian population abreast of the goings on in the Presidential candidate races in the United States. I find it amusing that I can keep up with the goings on in the States through a little free daily newspaper in Paris. I feel like it just goes to show how invested french culture is in politics.
However today the article about the general elections was placed next to an article about Adele and the article about her was actually longer than the political one and under a picture of her is captioned “Adele ou le triomphe de l’authenticité” (Adele or the triumph of authenticity.) I’m not sure but I do know that certain newspapers in Paris like to have deeper meanings than the basic first look. Which is why papers like Charlie Hebdo can be interpreted to be extremely controversial because their true messages are not always what they first appear to be.
I wish where I was living had a free, condensed, newspaper! I lived in DC last summer for an internship, and reading the metro newspaper every morning was one of the favorite parts of my commute. Here in Mexico, there are only three metro systems, and Queretaro´s public transport is entirely by bus. However, the cost of the bus, and public transport in general, is a huge issue of debate in Mexico. I also think it´s really interesting to follow the news about the American presidential campaign in other country, however I still read the New York Times every day, so my perception of what is happening is still colored by an American media news source.
ReplyDeleteI also find watching the election from over seas to be very interesting. Our election process seems even more warped from this perspective. It turns out that I have learned a lot about the British election system though comparative discussions with my peers. I think Donald Trump is the main ice breaker used when people first meet me haha. I wish there were some free newspapers here though! That sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous of your free newspapers! Angers is small enough that we don't have people handing out free papers, I think if I bought a paper for every day of this assignment it would cost like twenty euro!I think my favorite part about the French newspapers is that I was able to read about something that wasn't politics (I tend to avoid any article with Trump or Election in the name). American news seems to be nothing but election stuff, but French papers actually report on other things.
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