With a dozen appearances at the presentation of the show It tonightcolumnist Camille Diao has managed to put on the costume of host of the daily program of France 5. A role that has been recurring since March 28 since she officially replaces Karim Rissouli, on paternity leave for “several weeks”.
Senegalese by her father, Norman-Breton by her mother, the journalist looks back on her career on television, after having taken her first steps in radio. If she believes she still has a lot of room for improvement to fill, she knows that the debate program of the second part of the evening of the Five is a “fertile ground intellectually, ideal to improve. »
She reveals that with each program “an idea, a sentence goes [lui] remain in the head and which will undoubtedly lead to an idea that[elle] will digest and which could lead to something one day”. Between new challenge, place of diversity on screen and perspective for the future, 20 minutes spoke with the 32-year-old journalist.
It tonight occupies a special place in the French audiovisual sector. How did you react when you were introduced to become the host?
This is something that is new to me on television. It was Karim himself who offered to replace him. He told me at the start of the school year that it was the solution that seemed to him the most logical. I was very touched, I absolutely did not expect it. I was rather imagining that for a few years from now, so when Karim offered it to me, I was touched by the trust he showed in me. It was a great opportunity so I immediately said yes and got to work.
How did you prepare for it?
The idea was that I could train from September. I was very well supported by the production and by Karim. They have allowed me to make replacements once in a while since the fall.
Had you considered finding yourself at the head of a program by becoming a journalist?
Necessarily. I had a career in radio before arriving on television and I hosted quite a few programs on Radio Nova. It’s not the same format but when I arrived on television it seemed like a logical development to me that one day it could lead to the fact that I host my own show. Let’s say it happened a little faster than I thought and I’m very happy with it.
You have integrated It tonight when it was created in 2021, how have you evolved since then?
I think there is no better place on French television where I could be. I feel privileged to be part of this show that has a real proposition. The idea was to create a space for peaceful debate in which we could receive people who have different opinions but who exchange with respect. I think that’s something that was missing on television. By joining the show I was aware that it made sense.
The show also shows that the debate can be done without looking for the buzz…
Yes. I think that if we have succeeded in anything, it is to demonstrate that a more peaceful debate is possible and that very different or even opposing opinions can meet without us getting into clashes, invective… It was a real bet. I know Karim at the time of creating the show wasn’t sure if that was possible. He was afraid of leaving too much room for debate and falling into the traps of the news channels.
What feedback do you get from viewers?
This type of debate was missing and people appreciate it. People tell us: “It makes us feel good because it shows us that it is possible to talk together even if we don’t know each other well, even if we don’t agree. »
You also co-hosted The favorite book of the French in December 2022. What did you think of the prime time exercise on France 2?
It was a different register. I was happy to have the opportunity to return to more cultural subjects. It was an interesting exercise to think about how to create entertainment that talks about literature while remaining in the very mainstream register where you learn things.
These experiences bode well for the future. What are your goals ?
For now I’m very focused on this new challenge, I’m not yet projecting myself on what will happen behind. I feel very good in It tonight and I want to continue to participate in this adventure. At the same time, I would eventually like to return to more cultural subjects. I’m passionate about music and would love the opportunity to come up with something about how music illuminates the world we live in. This is something that interests me a lot.
However, you are not dreaming of becoming the new Léa Salamé…
Honestly, not at all. I find it quite valuable to let opportunities guide me. I arrived on television a bit by chance, it was never my goal. I was offered it and I went… In fact, I don’t have a career plan. My goal is not to become the most famous TV journalist in France and to present prime time.
Being a Métis woman on French television remains rare. Are you proud to show that it is possible?
What’s amazing is that it’s never something that I explicitly thought about. Since I have been working on television and I have been more exposed, I have received many messages from viewers who say to me: “It does us good to see someone like you on TV, a young woman, from diversity wearing dreadlocks and Doc Martens…” It’s in people’s eyes that I see the importance of representation.
You had never considered that this could be an obstacle?
I come from diversity but I come from a middle class family. I did not grow up in a disadvantaged environment. My parents are civil servants, they raised me telling me that I was going to study, that I could do what I wanted in life. They gave me the means to realize myself. I find it important to bring people from different backgrounds to television, more women, but also to bring in voices from other social backgrounds. And for this last point, it’s not my story…
Yet you are still an exception. Does that mean that there is a long way to go at this level?
Yes. But I think it’s on the way. In any case on the public service, I perceive a desire to bring in other voices, other points of view. We are at the start of the journey and my presence on the air is part of the journey. But what I hope for the future is that there are plenty of other personalities emerging and coming from all over the place and offering very different points of view compared to mine.
What paths should this take?
It also goes through training, through recruitment in schools… It’s a fight that a lot of young journalists are leading. It also happens a lot on the Internet. I watch everything on Twitch and I think that’s also where voices are emerging in journalism. I hope mainstream media like TV will be able to absorb this and see that there are different voices emerging elsewhere and it’s time to give them some space too.