Bayard Group Abandons Controversial Decisions After Employee Protests

The Catholic media group withdraws from ESJ Paris investment and cancels hiring of Alban du Rostu following backlash over ties to far-right figures.

Bayard Group announced it will sell its stake in the École Supérieure de Journalisme (ESJ) Paris, pending approval from its supervisory board.
The decision follows employee protests over concerns about the involvement of ultraconservative figures like Vincent Bolloré in the ESJ project.
The group also canceled the hiring of Alban du Rostu as director of strategy and development due to his past association with Pierre-Edouard Stérin, a conservative billionaire.
Du Rostu voluntarily withdrew from the role, citing an 'unjust campaign' against him, though critics linked him to far-right political initiatives.
Bayard employees and unions celebrated the moves as a victory for preserving the group’s values of independence and social Catholicism.