Le Quotidien faces a €400,000 shortfall due to press aid reforms, as rising production costs and inflation challenge their ability to maintain a physical newspaper amid shifting government support.
Governments often advocate for a diverse press, especially one that evolves with the digital age. This was a key consideration in the recent amendment to press aid legislation. However, not all media outlets benefit equally, as demonstrated by the difficulties faced by Le Quotidien.
On Tuesday morning, Frank Schmit, director of Luxembourg's only French daily, was interviewed about the press aid reform, which appears to favour some media institutions more than others.
In 2021, the criteria for state support were revised to focus on the number of officially recognized journalists rather than the volume of print. The goal was to ensure no journalist received less support. Despite this, Le Quotidien has struggled with the implementation due to unexpected economic pressures, including inflation and the COVID-19 crisis.
Further amendments to the press aid program are now needed. Currently, funding varies by publication type, ranging from €500,000 for online platforms to €800,000 for weekly newspapers and €1.6 million for daily papers. The proposed reform aims to standardize this support at €1.6 million for all news outlets, regardless of format.
Yet, even with this reform, challenges persist. Le Quotidien’s director explains, “Every day we try to publish and produce a novel newspaper. Producing a newspaper is a little wonder: in the morning the pages are blank, yet the next day at 4am there is a completely printed newspaper in the letter box. One needs resources for that achievement: we have the price of paper, and the journalists needed for production. The impact for us is a loss of €400,000. If we can’t finance our journalists any longer, we cannot keep producing newspapers.”
Since 2019, production costs have soared, with paper prices increasing by 80% and additional cost-of-living increases further straining finances.
While Le Quotidien has been able to rely on investor support so far, its future remains uncertain. Preserving a French-language newspaper is vital for a diverse press landscape, as digital offerings cannot fully replace the value of a physical newspaper.
The hope is that necessary adjustments will be made to ensure the continued viability of such essential news outlets.
Watch the interview in Luxembourgish:
