Scandal: How France 24 Succumbed to Mehtawi’s Blackmail and Sacrificed the Channel’s Professionalism Out of Fear of Najiba Jalal
In an incident that reveals much of what goes on behind the cameras of France 24 Arabic, the production team of one of the channel’s programs reached out to journalist Najiba Jalal this morning, inviting her to participate in a live episode dedicated to recent leaks concerning Hamid Mehtawi and the ethics committee. Jalal accepted the invitation promptly, not even inquiring about the second guest, believing that the channel respected the principle of balance and maintained a minimum level of professionalism.
However, what happened next was akin to a slap in the face for anyone who believes in freedom of discussion.
Just minutes before the broadcast was set to begin, Jalal received a message from the production team informing her that the episode’s duration had been cut from 30 minutes to 10, making her participation impossible due to the limited time. The official ended the message stating “we will collaborate in the future.” This ready-made message is usually employed to conceal deeper issues. A few minutes later, Najiba Jalal discovered that the episode had neither been canceled nor shortened, nor was there a time constraint… What happened was that her participation was canceled shortly before the broadcast.
The reason? Hamid Mehtawi evaded facing her.
Yes, the man who fills the virtual space with loud speeches and presents himself as a fierce fighter against “corruption” and “misleading narratives” lacked the courage to sit down in front of a journalist well-versed in his file, skilled at deconstructing his populist rhetoric, and fully aware of how to present his accumulated contradictions. Mehtawi, who operates freely behind his phone screen, manipulates emotions and fabricates ready-made narratives to attract views, was unprepared for confrontation when the argument is stronger than shouting.
But the bigger shock was not Mehtawi’s evasion; it was France 24’s own failure in this test. An international channel that claims professionalism and independence opted to submit to the desires of one guest at the expense of a guest who had come prepared for an open discussion. The channel chose to please an individual who dodges facing the facts instead of protecting its credibility in front of its Arab audience.
The program, titled “Face to Face,” aired as scheduled, and what occurred was a decision to broadcast the episode featuring only one viewpoint so that Mehtawi would not find himself in a position where he could not hide behind shouting or playing on emotions.
This decision raises a painful question: when did a guest start dictating terms to a channel that claims to be professional?
Minimizing Mehtawi no longer requires effort. He did that himself when he fled from confrontation. As for Najiba Jalal, she emerged from this story with greater steadiness, having unveiled a game that France 24 attempted to pass in the shadows.
Today’s incident exposes not only Mehtawi but also a profound dysfunction within the channel itself. A platform that should be a space for differing opinions has suddenly transformed into a stage controlled by one guest who decides who faces him and who is excluded.
Thus, instead of France 24 defending freedom of discussion, it chose to stifle it. Instead of protecting its independence, it relinquished it. Amid all this, Najiba Jalal remained the only one committed to maintaining professional integrity until the end.
