Current French Journalism

Alternate sessions we usually look at some French journalism. About half of these consist of a piece of writing from the French press — almost always the daily Libération. As well as having the French text, we also supply a Google translation in order to reduce the amount of looking up in the dictionary.

On some other journalism sessions we listen to a French news broadcast provided by Radio France Internationale. This website has a link to the audio, and to the script. You can load the audio onto your own computer by use of the right mouse button and selecting Save.

We also sometimes use podcasts from a Frenchwoman who posts her experiences of daily life in the outskirts of Paris.

These are now selected mid-week, and e-mailed out to class members, with paper copies delivered by hand to those who do not have e-mail facilities.

There are a few extra bits to be found here.

Here is a list of links to material used so far:

Date of Session Original
French
link Easy print
version Google’s
translation Subject

2 0 1 2

23^rd January 2012 original click audio Not the UN peace-keepers

2 0 1 1

14^th November 2011 ici click here Remembrance

31^st October 2011 ici click here Ballet in Russia

Summer Break

18^th April 2011 original click audio Bon marché pour le cadeau

11^th April 2011 ici click here Revolution in Egypt

7^th March 2011 audio click The pain of tea

21^st February 2011 audio click Lost for words - “exitentialism” (sic)

7^th February 2011 audio click A cat among the podcasts

24^th January 2011 ici click here 007 in Tunisia

2 0 1 0

22^nd November 2010 ici click here Welcome to the sticks (of spaghetti?)

8^th November 2010 ici click here Luncheon vouchers on the hoof

23^rd October 2010 ici click here Ig Nobel prize for economics

11^th October 2010 ici click here Nobel prize for literature

Summer Break

19^th April 2010 audio click News broadcast from Wednesday evening 14^th April

29^th March 2010 ici click here Ladies of the night in broad daylight

15^th March 2010 audio click News broadcast from Thursday evening 11^th March (probably)

8^th March 2010 ici click here Bad weather in la Vendée

22^nd February 2010 ici click here Speed traps

15^th February 2010 audio click News broadcast from Thursday evening 11^th February

1^st February 2010 ici click here State of the Union - 2010 (slightly abridged)

25^th January 2010 audio click News broadcast from Wednesday evening 20^th January

11^th January 2010 ici click here Albert Camus died 50 years ago

2 0 0 9

23^rd November 2009 audio click News broadcast from Wednesday evening 18^th November

16^th November 2009 ici click here What it means to be French

9^th November 2009 audio click News broadcast from Wednesday evening 4^th November

26^th October 2009 ici click here Swine ’flu in turkeys

19^th October 2009 audio click News broadcast from Wednesday evening 14^th October

12^th October 2009 ici click here Nobel Peace Prize

Summer Break

11^th May 2009 ici click here Dining with Simenon and Maigret

27^th April 2009 audio click News broadcast from Thursday evening 23^rd April

20^th April 2009 ici click here Speedy service at La Poste

30^th March 2009 ici click here “’twas on a Monday morning ... ”

23^rd March 2009 audio click News broadcast from Friday evening 20^th March

16^th March 2009 ici click here Hollywood comes to CERN

9^th March 2009 audio click News broadcast from Friday evening 6^th March

2^nd March 2009 ici et ici click here Discomfort for travellers

16^th February 2009 audio click News broadcast from Friday 13^th February

9^th February 2009 ici click here Sarkozy gets his sums wrong

26^th January 2009 ici click here Astérix may live forever

19^th January 2009 audio click News broadcast from Friday 16^th January

12^th January 2009 ici click here Antisemitism in France

2 0 0 8

1^st December 2008 audio click News broadcast from Friday 28^th November

24^th November 2008 ici click here High speed high heels

17^th November 2008 audio click News broadcast from Friday 14^th November

3^rd November 2008 ici click here Help for the French economy

Summer Break

19^th May 2008 audio click News broadcast from Saturday 17^th May

12^th May 2008 ici click here Help for the Burmese

28^th April 2008 audio click News broadcast from Thursday 24^th April

21^st April 2008 ici click here No rest for the aged

14^th April 2008 audio click News broadcast from Friday 11^th April

7^th April 2008 ici click here Martin Luther King

31^st March 2008 audio click News broadcast from Friday 28^th March

3^rd March 2008 ici click here Sparks fly between French and Spanish electricity giants

25^th February 2008 audio click News broadcast from Friday 22^nd February

18^th February 2008 ici click here Kofi Annan optimistic in Kenya

4^th February 2008 ici click here Recalling 1968 — 40 years on

28^th January 2008 audio click News broadcast from Friday 25^th January

21^st January 2008 ici click here Odours of the night

14^th January 2008 audio click News broadcast from Friday 11^th January

7^th January 2008 ici click here Mobile ’phones for children

2 0 0 7

3^rd December 2007 ici click here Decision time in Venezuela

26^th November 2007 ici click here Swedish swimming baths

19^th November 2007 ici click here Major reforms in French universities &minus abridged

5^th November 2007 ici click here Food is a serious matter in France

29^th October 2007 ici click here Cycling for seniors

15^th October 2007 ici click here Proper Nobel Prize

8^th October 2007 ici click here IG-Nobel Prizes

Summer Break

18^th June 2007 ici click here Out of sight but not out of mind

14^th May 2007 ici click here New Cabinet

Election special
Just skim the “English”
(probably on-screen),
and only look at
the French if you want to.
2 from Nouvelle Observateur
2 from le Figaro
3 from Libération
for discussion on Monday ici click here The long walk of president Sarko

ici click here PS at war — not now, but later

ici click here Tony Blair and Sarcozy

ici click here The PS tightens the teeth and the elbows

ici click here The PS must be modernized

ici click here Sarkozy’s official financial declaration

23^rd April 2007 ici click here Not for the lily livered - abridged

26^th March 2007 ici click here Some wrinkles on wrinkles from a grande damme - abridged

19^th March 2007 ici click here Leeds University backs down

12^th March 2007 ici click here Marriage of inconvenience in Northern Ireland

5^th March 2007 ici click here German immigration problems - slightly abridged

19^th February 2007 ici click here Eco-friendly skiing - slightly abridged

5^th February 2007 ici click here Climate change report published in Paris

29^th January 2007 ici click here 30th birthday of the Pompidou centre in Paris

22^nd January 2007 ici click here Ahmadinejad under fire - slightly abridged

15^th January 2007 ici click here Facial hair back in fashion - abridged

8^th January 2007 ici click here “Royal visit” to China

2 0 0 6

4^th December 2006 ici click here Oil industry in Mexico - abridged

27^th November 2006 ici click here Football violence

20^th November 2006 ici click here Ségolène Royale

13^th November 2006 ici click here White House v Congress

30^th October 2006 ici click here Ethiopia v Starbucks

Summer Break

19^th June 2006 ici click here Algeria v Sahara

5^th June 2006 ici click here Cohabitation in the streets of Lyons

22^nd May 2006 ici click here UN suspects USA of torture

15^th May 2006 ici click here Reintroduction of bears in the Pyrenees — slightly abridged

24^th April 2006 ici click here Armchair tourists in Moscow — slightly abridged

27^th March 2006 ici click here Tuberculosis is still with us

20^th March 2006 ici click here A delicate question of colour

13^th March 2006 ici click here John Profumo

6^th March 2006 ici click here Mexicans would like to be Yanks

20^th February 2006 ici click here School discipline

13^th February 2006 ici click here Coffee with a seasonal flavour (abridged)

6^th February 2006 ici click here The French are taller and stronger

30^th January 2006 ici click here Trivial Pursuits or Scrabble in matters of love

23^rd January 2006 ici click here No reduction in VAT for restaurants

16^th January 2006 ici click here Elections in Chile

9^th January 2006 info click here Genuine howlers from the French school exams

2 0 0 5

5^th December 2005 ici click here Plagues of flies in Britain by 2080

28^th November 2005 ici click here George Best R.I.P.

14^th November 2005 ici click here Internet piracy in Hong Kong

7^th November 2005 ici click here Public transport casualty of the violence

31^th October 2005 ici click here Violent protests among the youth of France

24^th October 2005 ici click here Hurricane Wilma

17^th October 2005 ici click here Tamiflu - generic form

Summer Break

6^th June 2005 ici click here The € after 2 × "non"

23^rd May 2005 ici click here Consumer society

9^th May 2005 ici click here Chirac’s 10^th anniversary

25^th April 2005 ici click here Paolozzi obituary

18^th April 2005 ici click here European Union Constitution

11^th April 2005 ici click here Charles and Camilla (abridged)

4^th April 2005 ici click here Smoking in restaurants

14^th March 2005 ici click here Strikes in the public sector

7^th March 2005 ici click here Disquiet about condoms in Lille

28^th February 2005 ici click here la Météo

21^st February 2005 ici click here Disquiet about China

7^th February 2005 ici click here Directory enquiries

31^st January 2005 ici click here Free entry to museums

24^th January 2005 ici click here Bush’s inauguration

17^th January 2005 ici click here Titan probe

10^th January 2005 ici click here Prevention of childhood obesity

2 0 0 4

6^th December 2004 ici click here Mobile phones

29^th November 2004 ici click here Nuclear fusion

22^nd November 2004 ici click here Museum of Modern Art in New York

15^th November 2004 ici click here Death of Arafat

08^th November 2004 ici click here US election

1^st November 2004 ici click here Cycling in town

18^th October 2004 où? click here US attitudes to the French

11^th October 2004 ici click here Sport Utility Vehicles

Summer Break

17^th May 2004 perdu click here Hommes de ménage

10^th May 2004 perdu click here EU enlargement

5^th April 2004 perdu click here French election

5^th April 2004 perdu click here Michael Grade head of the BBC

29^th March 2004 perdu click here Barbie dolls

22^nd March 2004 perdu click here Young people don’t read newspapers

15^th March 2004 perdu click here Exercise machines

16^th February 2004 perdu click here Jamie Oliver in Paris

9^th February 2004 perdu click The film Etre et avoir

2^nd February 2004 perdu click The Green Party is still behind in the polls

26^th January 2004 perdu click The David Kelly affair

19^th January 2004 perdu click The French Navy finds a crucial black box

19^th January 2004 le Monde click Anti-nuclear demonstration

Date of Session	Original French link	Easy print version	Google’s translation	Subject
2 0 1 2
23^rd January 2012	original	click	audio	Not the UN peace-keepers
2 0 1 1
14^th November 2011	ici	click	here	Remembrance
31^st October 2011	ici	click	here	Ballet in Russia
Summer Break
18^th April 2011	original	click	audio	Bon marché pour le cadeau
11^th April 2011	ici	click	here	Revolution in Egypt
7^th March 2011	audio	click		The pain of tea
21^st February 2011	audio	click		Lost for words - “exitentialism” (sic)
7^th February 2011	audio	click		A cat among the podcasts
24^th January 2011	ici	click	here	007 in Tunisia
2 0 1 0
22^nd November 2010	ici	click	here	Welcome to the sticks (of spaghetti?)
8^th November 2010	ici	click	here	Luncheon vouchers on the hoof
23^rd October 2010	ici	click	here	Ig Nobel prize for economics
11^th October 2010	ici	click	here	Nobel prize for literature
Summer Break
19^th April 2010	audio	click		News broadcast from Wednesday evening 14^th April
29^th March 2010	ici	click	here	Ladies of the night in broad daylight
15^th March 2010	audio	click		News broadcast from Thursday evening 11^th March (probably)
8^th March 2010	ici	click	here	Bad weather in la Vendée
22^nd February 2010	ici	click	here	Speed traps
15^th February 2010	audio	click		News broadcast from Thursday evening 11^th February
1^st February 2010	ici	click	here	State of the Union - 2010 (slightly abridged)
25^th January 2010	audio	click		News broadcast from Wednesday evening 20^th January
11^th January 2010	ici	click	here	Albert Camus died 50 years ago
2 0 0 9
23^rd November 2009	audio	click		News broadcast from Wednesday evening 18^th November
16^th November 2009	ici	click	here	What it means to be French
9^th November 2009	audio	click		News broadcast from Wednesday evening 4^th November
26^th October 2009	ici	click	here	Swine ’flu in turkeys
19^th October 2009	audio	click		News broadcast from Wednesday evening 14^th October
12^th October 2009	ici	click	here	Nobel Peace Prize
Summer Break
11^th May 2009	ici	click	here	Dining with Simenon and Maigret
27^th April 2009	audio	click		News broadcast from Thursday evening 23^rd April
20^th April 2009	ici	click	here	Speedy service at La Poste
30^th March 2009	ici	click	here	“’twas on a Monday morning ... ”
23^rd March 2009	audio	click		News broadcast from Friday evening 20^th March
16^th March 2009	ici	click	here	Hollywood comes to CERN
9^th March 2009	audio	click		News broadcast from Friday evening 6^th March
2^nd March 2009	ici et ici	click	here	Discomfort for travellers
16^th February 2009	audio	click		News broadcast from Friday 13^th February
9^th February 2009	ici	click	here	Sarkozy gets his sums wrong
26^th January 2009	ici	click	here	Astérix may live forever
19^th January 2009	audio	click		News broadcast from Friday 16^th January
12^th January 2009	ici	click	here	Antisemitism in France
2 0 0 8
1^st December 2008	audio	click		News broadcast from Friday 28^th November
24^th November 2008	ici	click	here	High speed high heels
17^th November 2008	audio	click		News broadcast from Friday 14^th November
3^rd November 2008	ici	click	here	Help for the French economy
Summer Break
19^th May 2008	audio	click		News broadcast from Saturday 17^th May
12^th May 2008	ici	click	here	Help for the Burmese
28^th April 2008	audio	click		News broadcast from Thursday 24^th April
21^st April 2008	ici	click	here	No rest for the aged
14^th April 2008	audio	click		News broadcast from Friday 11^th April
7^th April 2008	ici	click	here	Martin Luther King
31^st March 2008	audio	click		News broadcast from Friday 28^th March
3^rd March 2008	ici	click	here	Sparks fly between French and Spanish electricity giants
25^th February 2008	audio	click		News broadcast from Friday 22^nd February
18^th February 2008	ici	click	here	Kofi Annan optimistic in Kenya
4^th February 2008	ici	click	here	Recalling 1968 — 40 years on
28^th January 2008	audio	click		News broadcast from Friday 25^th January
21^st January 2008	ici	click	here	Odours of the night
14^th January 2008	audio	click		News broadcast from Friday 11^th January
7^th January 2008	ici	click	here	Mobile ’phones for children
2 0 0 7
3^rd December 2007	ici	click	here	Decision time in Venezuela
26^th November 2007	ici	click	here	Swedish swimming baths
19^th November 2007	ici	click	here	Major reforms in French universities &minus abridged
5^th November 2007	ici	click	here	Food is a serious matter in France
29^th October 2007	ici	click	here	Cycling for seniors
15^th October 2007	ici	click	here	Proper Nobel Prize
8^th October 2007	ici	click	here	IG-Nobel Prizes
Summer Break
18^th June 2007	ici	click	here	Out of sight but not out of mind
14^th May 2007	ici	click	here	New Cabinet
Election special Just skim the “English” (probably on-screen), and only look at the French if you want to. 2 from Nouvelle Observateur 2 from le Figaro 3 from Libération for discussion on Monday	ici	click	here	The long walk of president Sarko
ici	click	here	PS at war — not now, but later
ici	click	here	Tony Blair and Sarcozy
ici	click	here	The PS tightens the teeth and the elbows
ici	click	here	The PS must be modernized
ici	click	here	Sarkozy’s official financial declaration
23^rd April 2007	ici	click	here	Not for the lily livered - abridged
26^th March 2007	ici	click	here	Some wrinkles on wrinkles from a grande damme - abridged
19^th March 2007	ici	click	here	Leeds University backs down
12^th March 2007	ici	click	here	Marriage of inconvenience in Northern Ireland
5^th March 2007	ici	click	here	German immigration problems - slightly abridged
19^th February 2007	ici	click	here	Eco-friendly skiing - slightly abridged
5^th February 2007	ici	click	here	Climate change report published in Paris
29^th January 2007	ici	click	here	30th birthday of the Pompidou centre in Paris
22^nd January 2007	ici	click	here	Ahmadinejad under fire - slightly abridged
15^th January 2007	ici	click	here	Facial hair back in fashion - abridged
8^th January 2007	ici	click	here	“Royal visit” to China
2 0 0 6
4^th December 2006	ici	click	here	Oil industry in Mexico - abridged
27^th November 2006	ici	click	here	Football violence
20^th November 2006	ici	click	here	Ségolène Royale
13^th November 2006	ici	click	here	White House v Congress
30^th October 2006	ici	click	here	Ethiopia v Starbucks
Summer Break
19^th June 2006	ici	click	here	Algeria v Sahara
5^th June 2006	ici	click	here	Cohabitation in the streets of Lyons
22^nd May 2006	ici	click	here	UN suspects USA of torture
15^th May 2006	ici	click	here	Reintroduction of bears in the Pyrenees — slightly abridged
24^th April 2006	ici	click	here	Armchair tourists in Moscow — slightly abridged
27^th March 2006	ici	click	here	Tuberculosis is still with us
20^th March 2006	ici	click	here	A delicate question of colour
13^th March 2006	ici	click	here	John Profumo
6^th March 2006	ici	click	here	Mexicans would like to be Yanks
20^th February 2006	ici	click	here	School discipline
13^th February 2006	ici	click	here	Coffee with a seasonal flavour (abridged)
6^th February 2006	ici	click	here	The French are taller and stronger
30^th January 2006	ici	click	here	Trivial Pursuits or Scrabble in matters of love
23^rd January 2006	ici	click	here	No reduction in VAT for restaurants
16^th January 2006	ici	click	here	Elections in Chile
9^th January 2006	info	click	here	Genuine howlers from the French school exams
2 0 0 5
5^th December 2005	ici	click	here	Plagues of flies in Britain by 2080
28^th November 2005	ici	click	here	George Best R.I.P.
14^th November 2005	ici	click	here	Internet piracy in Hong Kong
7^th November 2005	ici	click	here	Public transport casualty of the violence
31^th October 2005	ici	click	here	Violent protests among the youth of France
24^th October 2005	ici	click	here	Hurricane Wilma
17^th October 2005	ici	click	here	Tamiflu - generic form
Summer Break
6^th June 2005	ici	click	here	The € after 2 × "non"
23^rd May 2005	ici	click	here	Consumer society
9^th May 2005	ici	click	here	Chirac’s 10^th anniversary
25^th April 2005	ici	click	here	Paolozzi obituary
18^th April 2005	ici	click	here	European Union Constitution
11^th April 2005	ici	click	here	Charles and Camilla (abridged)
4^th April 2005	ici	click	here	Smoking in restaurants
14^th March 2005	ici	click	here	Strikes in the public sector
7^th March 2005	ici	click	here	Disquiet about condoms in Lille
28^th February 2005	ici	click	here	la Météo
21^st February 2005	ici	click	here	Disquiet about China
7^th February 2005	ici	click	here	Directory enquiries
31^st January 2005	ici	click	here	Free entry to museums
24^th January 2005	ici	click	here	Bush’s inauguration
17^th January 2005	ici	click	here	Titan probe
10^th January 2005	ici	click	here	Prevention of childhood obesity
2 0 0 4
6^th December 2004	ici	click	here	Mobile phones
29^th November 2004	ici	click	here	Nuclear fusion
22^nd November 2004	ici	click	here	Museum of Modern Art in New York
15^th November 2004	ici	click	here	Death of Arafat
08^th November 2004	ici	click	here	US election
1^st November 2004	ici	click	here	Cycling in town
18^th October 2004	où?	click	here	US attitudes to the French
11^th October 2004	ici	click	here	Sport Utility Vehicles
Summer Break
17^th May 2004	perdu	click	here	Hommes de ménage
10^th May 2004	perdu	click	here	EU enlargement
5^th April 2004	perdu	click	here	French election
5^th April 2004	perdu	click	here	Michael Grade head of the BBC
29^th March 2004	perdu	click	here	Barbie dolls
22^nd March 2004	perdu	click	here	Young people don’t read newspapers
15^th March 2004	perdu	click	here	Exercise machines
16^th February 2004	perdu	click	here	Jamie Oliver in Paris
9^th February 2004	perdu	click		The film Etre et avoir
2^nd February 2004	perdu	click		The Green Party is still behind in the polls
26^th January 2004	perdu	click		The David Kelly affair
19^th January 2004	perdu	click		The French Navy finds a crucial black box
19^th January 2004	le Monde	click		Anti-nuclear demonstration

People who are involved with the Chenobyl children may be interested in this with "English" here

Here is a note on speaking numbers in French.
Here is a note on French insults.
Here is a note on French idioms and gestures.

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