French Political Communication in a Comparative Perspective: The Media and the Issue of Freedom

This article examines certain key features of the political communication system of the de Gaulle presidency (1958–1969). It situates the Gaullist approach within a four-part typology, consisting of totalitarianism, authoritarianism, statism and liberalism, with the Gaullist model presented as a French example of the statist approach. The article argues that the concept of statism has had a lasting influence on political communication in post-Gaullian France. The article also represents a plea in favour of the view that important differences remain between national political communication systems and that a democratic system is freer and more desirable than non-democratic alternatives.