Editorial
2025, finally peace?
The triumphant re-election of Donald Trump as head of the United States of America on November 5th resounded like a thunderclap in the Western political and media landscape. No one wanted to believe it, all the polls and debates were biased – at least in France – but the Americans’ choice was very clear: the majority of them want peace. As a result, money will stop flowing into the most corrupt government in Europe and the weapons will probably fall silent in Ukraine in the course of 2025. The Donbass, populated by Russians, will officially become Russian again and Ukraine, having become totally “Ukrainian”, may perhaps become a real nation… But at what price, alas! Negotiating from the start with its immense neighbor would have been a thousand times preferable to the death and ruin of an entire country.
Coming back to the media, a study was conducted by the Ipsos institute on the well-being of French journalists in 2024. Its results have just been published [1] and they are unequivocal: 84% of those who responded believe that the processing of information is today primarily focused on the search for audience ratings, 77% that it is too anxiety-provoking and that it is subject to economic and political interference. The journalists consulted are perfectly aware of the now very negative opinion of citizens towards the media; more than two thirds of them consider that their job has become more stressful and more difficult to do than a few years ago. Whose fault is it? When we claim to tackle Fake News and instead lie to the public, out of ideology or submission, or even interest, we should not complain afterwards...
A small example: this study was conducted for the États Généraux de l'Information, entrusted to the NGO Ashoka. From the first question, it was necessary (from memory) to check one of the following three boxes: "Are you: a woman? A man? Other?" As a journalist, I must nevertheless inform the public that there are only two genders in the human species: feminine and masculine... It is with this wink that I wish you all a good read and an excellent year 2025!
[1]Downloadable here: https://etats-generaux-information.fr/actualites/consultation-sur-l-etat-de-bien-etre-des-journalistes-en-france
Christophe Cony
In summary:
- Readers' letters
- In memoriam: Chris Shores and Bernard Klaeyle by Jean-Louis Roba and Christophe Cony
- Forever the first: Albert Preziosi, the first winner of the "Normandie-Niemen". Full story, by Jean-Jacques Leclercq
- Thunder over Pointe du Hoc: the preparatory bombings for D-Day. Full story, by Hubert Groult with the participation of Christophe Cony
- Michel Coiffard, the "sausage burner" from Nantes. Second and last part, by Christophe Cony
- The Polikarpovs in Finnish aviation. Full story, by Kari Stenman
- News: the aeronautical heritage of the Pays Vannetais. Full story, by Philippe Guillermin
On the cover:
Albert Preziosi was one of the founding members of the "Normandie" regiment (later "Normandie-Niemen") which covered itself in glory on the Russian front during the Second World War. AVIONS invites you to learn more about the career of this exemplary officer!
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