French TV journalists' bloopers - after "François Sarkozy" comes "Nicolas Sortant"

It seems to be catching: the problem French some television journalists have with the names of the two candidates in the second round of the presidential elections.

 Ariane Massenet (screenshot Le Grand Journal, Canal +)

On Monday Ariane Massenet successfully managed to muddle and combine Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande into a not-so-inappropriate compound perhaps of "François Sarkozy".

Appearing on Le Grand Journal on Canal +, Massenet managed the composite presidential candidate not once, but twice.

LE GRAND JOURNAL du 23/04/12 - Part. 2 quelles alliances pour le 2nd tour?

And a couple of days later it was the turn of BFM TV anchor Mathieu Coache to add another dimension to the naming of the candidates.

It came during an afternoon bulletin on the all-news channel as Coache and co-anchor Florence Duprat rounded up the day's campaign trail agenda for the two candidates.

 Mathieu Coache (screenshot BFM TV)

Sarkozy was in the eastern French town of Cernay "exalting the values of France" in the region of Alsace in which, although he had finished top of the pile in the first round just as he had done five years ago, also witnessed a drop in his support (32.92 per cent in 2012 compared with 36.19 per cent in 2007- and massive gains for Marine Le Pen (22.12 per cent in 2012 and 13.56 per cent in 2007).

He might apparently be ruling out any deal with the far-right Front National, but you can probably draw your own conclusions as to what he's up to by insisting that those who voted for Marine Le Pen in the first round "should not be demonised."

Meanwhile Hollande, was taking journalists' questions at a news conference in Paris.

And it was after a clip showing the Socialist party's candidate in action that Coache almost came a cropper with a slip of the tongue that might just have revealed how he thinks the second round is likely to turn out.

"Pendant cette conférence de presse, François Hollande a une nouvelle fois attaqué sans jamais le nommer Nicolas 'sortant'...'Nicolas sortant'- Nicolas Sarkozy - pardon."

Was it just a simple "lapsus linguae" on Coache's part or a matter of wishful thinking combined with presentiment?

Thankfully Duprat was on hand to clarify (as if it were needed) that her colleague had in fact meant to say "candidate sortant".

"Francois Sarkozy" and "Nicolas Sortant".

Of course Massenet might have been thinking of Sarkozy's younger brother who in indeed called François.

But who is Nicolas Sortant?

Are French TV journalists trying to tell the voters something?

Morandini zap : Lapsus "Nicolas sortant" Vidéo jeanmarcmorandini sélectionnée dans Replay TV