Méliné Ristiguian is a journalist with French weekly Paris Match. A descendant of Armenian Genocide survivors, her fate has woven her Armenian and French identities in a very interesting way. 

She studied literature at Bordeaux Montaigne University then moved to Paris and specialized in journalism. Initially she produced television reportages then got a job at Paris Match, in the pages of which she writes about art, culture and the lives of famous people.

Ristiguian says that writing for the print version of the weekly differs greatly from writing for the web. Not only does the Paris Match website incorporate diverse media (photo series, video shot on a mobile phone), but also the content is different. Events unfolding offstage and behind the scenes appear more often on the website. 

Please tell us about your roots.

My grandfather and grandmother were from Kharberd. My grandfather, escaping the massacres and passing through Der Zor, found refuge with a Kurdish family, where an American missionary saw him and took him to an orphanage in Aleppo. 

From my grandmother’s family, only she and her sister were saved. In order to avoid the threat of rape, the girls went to the garden, pulled nettle and slapped each other in the face with stinging nettle. They mutilated themselves, becoming ugly, so they could be saved. Then, pretending to be dead, they lay beneath a tree and remained unmoving for a few days. My grandmother and grandfather met in the orphanage in Aleppo, and they got married there. 

They travelled a long road and finally settled in Bordeaux. They intended also to depart for Armenia, as my grandmother’s sister was there. But since they weren’t sure if things would be good for them in Soviet Armenia, my mother asked her sister to write a letter. 

The text of the letter, like a unique code, had to have the opposite meaning. If they wrote that it’s terrible, then everything is good, but if they wrote that it was wonderful, then it was bad. A few days later, my grandmother and grandfather received a letter that said that everything was delightful — definitely come. And they understood that they shouldn’t go, and they stayed in Bordeaux.

“If they oblige you to write this or that story, you can easily refuse, saying you’re busy or you have a headache. Or simply say that you don’t want to.”

There are very few Armenians in Bordeaux. And though I participate in all the Armenian events (including the summer camps), unfortunately, I don’t speak Armenian though I read and write. 

To what extent does being Armenian help or impede the task of a journalist? One sometimes hears opinions that an Armenian identity is also a burden that must be overcome. 

Being Armenian is neither an advantage nor an impediment because in France, there are many people of different ethnic descent. Having an Armenian surname, of course, doesn’t bother me; it even helps. The journalism community is quite closed; if a journalist doesn’t have connections or contacts, she can’t succeed.

My being Armenian in many cases helps, since in the media industry there are very influential Armenians, from whom, by keeping in contact with them, I am able to get necessary information. 

Recently, for example, I did an interview with singer Patrick Fiori, whose Armenian origin accelerated the task. I can contact Charles Aznavour and ask him to introduce me to or organize a meeting with someone or another. 

Playing a large role in the French media are Daniel Bilalian, a famous television presenter who is now the director of the French state channels, and Deputy Director General at Canal+ Ara Aprikian.

Though Bilalian and Aprikian have never personally helped me, just the fact that there are such reputable Armenians in the media gives me strength. 

You mainly write about art. In Armenia’s media, art is in second, even 10th place, since the most read articles are those related to politics. 

That’s not the case in France — art never yields to politics. Of course there are stories that are more serious than others, but writing about art is more difficult and more interesting than writing about politics. 

“In France, it’s not the government that supervises the media, but the public and the media supervise the government”

Can you describe (with reservations, of course) French journalists’ main issue? Here in Armenia, for example, the issue is indifference. A journalist can conduct a serious investigation, but there is no reaction and no one is charged.

Oh, that’s not at all the case in France. If a journalist condemns someone in an article and publishes facts, the huge machine will immediately act.

For example, articles were recently published that revealed that the French presidential staff spent an enormous amount of money on trips for journalists. There was a huge wave of protest, since these journalists were mostly employees of private media. A question arose: why should private TV or magazine journalists travel by plane and live in hotels at the state’s expense?

The articles evoked a huge response, resulting in the presidential staff restricting its expenses, and now it does not provide money for any journalist’s travel. 

One of the difficulties of the French media’s work is that some news outlets belongs to business corporations or groups. And when you write a story, usually you monitor and control yourself, so as not to seriously harm the interests of these business groups. Let me also say that if you don’t monitor it, nothing will happen, no one will blame or fire you. Journalists are free in their decisions.

In any case, I can confidently say that I’m more free than in the US. 

Usually when the ruling authorities want to control the public, they begin this work from the media.

I can say that in France it’s the complete opposite: the public and the media supervise the government. This of course is a positive attribute, but sometimes it reaches extremes. The media can make a lot of noise from some small thing. And all of a sudden, French people take to the streets, hold demonstrations, organize labor strikes.

Thus, the people dictate to the government, and the government fears labor strikes most of all, as they can last for weeks and paralyze the entire state. 

Does television play a big role in France?

Television continues to have a great impact, while print media is already losing its power. The strength lies now with virtual media. 

How important for the French is social media? In Armenia, for example, Facebook and Twitter are in great demand and in many cases people feel free on those platforms.

Of course, you can write what you want on Facebook and other social networking sites. You’re more fearless and protected from criticism there. But since France considers its greatest virtue to be freedom, freedom is considered a priority everywhere.  

Can a journalist be fired for a Facebook post that contradicts the news outlet’s politics?

This is ruled out — no one in France can be easily dismissed from his job. The only possibility perhaps is a direct insult to the newspaper. But since journalists are used to writing text based only on facts, they are already insured and protected. Expressing an opinion (even if it’s unpleasant to some) cannot be cause for dismissal.

Does Paris Match collaborate with news outlets from other countries (for example, Armenia)?

Paris Match has a huge staff (including also freelance journalists) and prefers to send its correspondents to different countries and produce stories on the ground. For example, now, with the goal of writing a reportage on the Armenian Genocide centenary, we with two journalists and one photojournalist have come to Yerevan.

Of course we can collaborate with local journalists, but, all the same, the person who signs her name on the article must be a Paris Match journalist. 

If you’re told that they’re expecting an article on a specific topic or from this angle, would you refuse or would you comply, even if it was not to your liking?

They never interfere in the content; at most, what they can do is change the style. But if they oblige you to write this or that story, you can easily refuse, saying you’re busy or you have a headache. Or simply say that you don’t want to. 

After all, if you’re free, you’re free. 

Interview by Nune Hakhverdyan.