Credit Muriel Epailly
Born in 1952, Edwy Plenel is a French political journalist. He started at Rouge, followed at Matin in Paris. He, then, worked for 25 years at the national daily Le Monde, as editorial director. He quit in 2005, oposed to the lead taken. Founder of the online newspaper, Mediapart, he is an important figure of journalism, especially investigative journalism.
Edwy Plenel is known for being an advocate of independant press, right to know and democratic and republican values. Mediapart is at the source of the revelations on the Bettencourt case in 2010 linking Eric Woerth, then French budget minister, the billionaire Liliane Bettencourt and the funding of Nicolas Sarkozy’ presidential campaign. Mediapart also leaked the case of Jérome Cahuzac, then budget minister, Swiss bank account which led to his resignation.
The journalist wrote numerous books, such as the outstanding Combat pour une presse libre. Le manifeste de Mediapart; La République menacée. Dix ans d'effet Le Pen; Le Président de trop. Vertus de l'antisarkozysme, vices du présidentialisme. Designated as brillant journalist by some, and spiteful activist little worried by the truth by others, Edwy Plenel will have, for sure, left its signature on journalism of the last three decades.