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

The French Socialist party's "vague" programme - according to Martine Aubry

How refreshing to hear a politician apparently telling the truth, no matter how unintentional it might be.

Amid the political comings and goings in France over the weekend and the reactions there have been to Sunday's decision by the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to reshuffle his government, came a moment of light relief.

It was, in itself, telling of the still-confused state of the opposition Socialist party and came in the form of a slip of the tongue - for which the media is notoriously unforgiving - from its leader Martine Aubry.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the events that were to unfold later in the day - the resignation of France's "beleaguered" foreign minister Michèle Alliot-Marie and the announcement by the president, Nicolas Sarkozy, of a government reshuffle.

Martine Aubry's "vague-vast" moment (screenshot France 2)

But to those watching Aubry as a guest at the end of the lunchtime news on France 2 television, it can only have brought a smile to the face - and a knowing nod that her "lapsus linguae" probably wasn't too far off the mark.

Aubry was talking about some of the propositions being put forward to form the party's official programme during campaigning for the 2012 presidential elections.

She animatedly outlined the broad thrust of what that programme would be, but in her apparent enthusiasm, somehow only managed to confirm what many of the French must surely fear will be the case.

"We want to give all the French the chance to have a say what they think," she said.

"And at the same time they should respect the rules and respect each other," she continued.

'It's an extremely vague...vast...programme and that's the essential thing."

Yes Aubry managed to correct herself in full flow, but the "vague-vast" blooper had left its mark, with one wise wag commenting on the clip which quickly found its way onto the Net that, "The one time she (Aubry) actually tells the truth, she is criticised for doing so."



We wait with bated breath for more details on the Socialist party's vague and vast programme.