Addressing all the topics that are in the news, while reaching out to 12-18 year olds: such is the ambition of “C quoi l’info”, launched today by France Télévisions, and presented alternately by the journalists Camille Dahan and Nacer Boubekeur.
The project for this JT was born at the end of last season following an observation. “Whether in our digital worlds or on TV, young people are not there, so the idea is really to go and look for them,” summarizes Célia Mériguet, director of digital publishing at franceinfo. This meeting will be broadcast every day at 6:55 p.m. on channel 27 of France Info and available on the channel’s website, but it will also be posted online from 6 p.m. on YouTube in a 5-minute format, as well as on Snapchat and Tik Tok in the form of smaller sequences.
“We really try to adapt to the codes of social networks,” continues Célia Mériguet. The studio which hosts this newspaper resembles that of a streamer, filmed from a low angle. She adds: “The idea is to have a newscast which will interest them in the news but which will also talk to them about their world, help them discover things, talk to them about sports, and sometimes bring a smiling look at the ‘info. »
Stop the journalistic jargon
Before launching, the “C quoi l’info” team wondered about the language to adopt. “We worked a lot on: how do we speak to this target of 12-18 year olds? With what words? Already, let’s stop the journalistic jargon. We don’t say “the tenant of Place Beauvau” to designate the Minister of the Interior, and when we say “indicted”, we explain what that means. We are really going to be making a big educational effort, with inlays [des textes et images apparaissant à l’écran] to help us convey the message, explains Célia Mériguet. We are in a support process so that when they receive the information, we already ensure that they have understood it. »
If Nacer Boubekeur knows the world of social networks well, having started on the France Info Tik Tok account and having hosted lives on Twitch, Camille Dahan confirms discovering new writing during this news. The one who started on the news channels and ended up joining Laurent Delahousse’s team for “1:15 p.m. on Sunday”, “8:30 p.m. on Sunday” and the special editions, admits having had to learn new codes, those of social networks, to “What’s the news?”
“We are not going to imitate their words”
“I use a much more direct tone, I get to the point, where sometimes as a journalist we tend to use pretty formulas to avoid repetition. Young people aren’t afraid of hearing the same word three times in the same sentence, it doesn’t bother them. »
Nacer Boubekeur continues: “Every day, we ask ourselves the question: are all the terms I use understandable by everyone? Can’t I use a simpler term to say it? » On this subject, definitions will appear on the side of the screen. “You have to be understandable but also teach them words,” explains Célia Mériguet. We will put ourselves within their reach, but in no way will we use their way of speaking or act as if we were teenagers. We’re not going to say “it’s square”. We are not going to imitate their words. »
“We know it’s going to be complicated to capture their attention”
To ensure we are on the right wavelength, “C quoi l’info” will reach out to these 12-18 year olds. “We are going to work with classes,” says the director of digital publishing at franceinfo. One is in Drancy. A teacher will have us work with 4th grade students and 3rd grade students. As it is important for us to have a fairly diverse audience, we are also looking for a class in a rural area. This will definitely be implemented towards the end of the month. In the meantime, to test our news, we brought to France Télévisions, via the Paris Anim’ network, young people who were in a leisure center during the summer in Paris. We presented our news to them and we listened attentively to their feedback. It’s a long-term follow-up: What interests them? What interests them less? How can we interest them? Because even if there are subjects that they are not passionate about, they are in the news. So, how can we improve the way we explain to them? »
Obviously, “C quoi l’info” also intends to fight against disinformation through this news and promote interactivity and dialogue with young audiences. Célia Mériguet specifies: “We go there with complete humility because we know that it will be complicated to capture their attention.”