Risk every politician has his parade of fortune

This Sunday 13 September, the day of launch of the UMP campaign for regional elections of Ile-de-France, Valérie Pécresse and Rama Yade discuss in whisper on the rostrum in the meantime activists. But suddenly, nudged from one to the other, silence, they keep silent: they come to see that a ultrafine pole was hanging above them a small microphone. Another day, another place, François Hollande and Michel FIR chat happily in a near restaurant of the Socialist Party. Then a simple look, implicit agreement, they fall in a tone and IFWU on a most gentlemanlike one conversation: "you never know...".

Two episodes from thousands: here is what became the daily lives of politicians. At the time of the Internet and ultrasophistiquées technologies, it does more good joke in public places. At the time of small videos that cancel in one day the benefits of a year of action, prudence and control have become the bywords of a political staff, traumatized by the strength of the new medium. The Socialists will never forget the video of Ségolène Royal criticizing teachers during the presidential campaign: "Ca has been the spark: it was the first time that a video was viewed 1 million times in a few days, and was at the time the headlines of 20 hours of TF1", observes Gilles Finkelstein, who advised Socialist officials (including DSK). The majority remains deeply marked by the damage in the opinion by the "breaks you poor ' con ' of Nicolas Sarkozy to the agriculture, or lounge by the disastrous Brice Hortefeux joke at the summer University of the UMP with an activist of Maghreb origin more recently.

Gigantism, speed, force: they describe the phenomenon as they describe a monster. "Is believed to apply to a person, but talking to 1 million", indicates Michel Sapin. "There are France 64 million of cameramen", observed Franck Louvrier, Nicolas Sarkozy communication Advisor, since all mobile phones are likely to make a film. "It is about an event, twenty minutes later, you see on your iPhone photos are already on the Web," says Michel Bettan, Advisor Xavier Bertrand.Tandis that François Fillon, trapped once in the corridors of Europe 1, said "the absence of a right to oblivion". The life of a paper newspaper is a few days; a video on the Internet is still in line a year later.

"Nothing is"off"."

Internet is not only in case: has grafted still miniaturized and efficient technologies, François Fillon had given that cameras the followed far away from the radio studio, he had not thought that they had the power to save his words, competition exacerbated between the media and the dissemination of a "spirit" Canal transparency or mockery - as we like it or not - into the traditional press. The newspapers all have a website, journalists blog and Chief Editor of "The Express" comes from "twitter" a recent meeting with Nicolas Sarkozy.

Risk, every politician has his parade of fortune. Nicolas Sarkozy takes always care what cameras do most continue to turn when it completes an interview. Rachida Dati knew, to Justice, to measure his words when his Adviser was negligently a finger on his mouth; Michèle Alliot-Marie is working and always telephone the door open "for never forget that at each moment can be listened to"; in the National Assembly, the upholstery of the doors has just doubled to discourage the eavesdroppers; and to the PS, the room of the national Office is equipped with a system of interference from mobile phones. Because caution and prevention remain to this day the best weapon anti - Internet. Even if it kills any spontaneity in communication: policy makers require now in control of their speech as soon as they leave the territory strictly private or official. "It's just a reflex that policy makers must integrate, must say anything to anyone that it wished to see repeat, nothing is"off"", explains Bernard Sananès, CEO of Euro RSCG C & O. Trappers of the Net often explained that they left lying around the microphones because the politique communication had become too justified The policies are by more control yet.

It is true that experts and policy are in agreement on one point: once the blunder is committed and saved, it is absolutely impossible to stop it (unless the information is false or defamatory). That risk can see his attempts to violently return to boomerang. This is Nadine Morano, who had asked a lawyer to sue a user for having posted the comment "oh the liar!".on video, sparked a reaction indignant of the canvas. And thus the famous video advertising it would never had without it.

The counterexample Hortefeux

Once the video online, the margins of action are limited. The "watchers Internet", that most of the Ministers were recruited, try to anticipate the possible life and prepare reply storms. If it breaks out, "it should be keep a cool head, not to deny the remarks and bring elements of context," explains Franck Louvrier. A support for the policy of regret his once the controversy is mollified skid (that made Nicolas Sarkozy in "Le Nouvel Observateur" last summer, a year and a half after the agriculture fair). This held does not prevent the "buzz", but at least it is stoking. Hortefeux method after its September video is built by all counterexample of what to do: in having insured (before retract) that he was talking not Arabs but of the Auvergnats, has attracted so many parodies on these seconds comments and clicks on the small original film.

Make the big back, therefore, and then leave as quickly as possible to the offensive, preferably with the same communication tools. This is what Bernard Sananès called the "battle of the flow of communication". Valérie Pécresse, presented unflattering way by "Le Petit Journal" Canal at a meeting of leafleting, attempted to give a positive reading of the episode by this message submitted in the wake on Twitter: "I like"Le Petit Journal"on Canal ." Yesterday, small video on the haul railway station Austerlitz: they have a lot of humour! Me too.

Sarkozy on Faceboook and Twitter

In General, the Elysee is convinced that the best parade to the Internet, it is to be on the offensive. In the 2007 campaign, Nicolas Sarkozy had aroused a NS related site its facts and actions; from the perspective of 2012, it is in-the-art. "It must be pro-active, make an asset rather than endure, and never forget that in 2012, the rate of households in computer equipment be equivalent to that of television today," explains Franck Louvrier. The head of State has since a few months of a Facebook profile. It assign an Advisor care tell on Twitter (for the first time) the Copenhagen Summit, and promises events specifically devoted to the Internet media. See rise to false videos stolen as during the American campaign Everything is possible. "What is safe, it is that the Internet and social networking tools will take more in addition to place in communication: they give a direct link with the French, for a minimal cost", continues Franck Louvrier.

The members of the Government are also invited, too, to develop their presence on the Web and appropriating these tools. And so much worse if this political class in a paradox that it is not ready to lift. "If personalities such as Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet and BenoîtHamon fully integrated adapted to these media tone, they still figure of exception", indeed explains Jérôme Delaveau, Chairman of Human to Human, an agency of Eve and conversational strategies. The only way to have an impact on the Internet, it is to play the rules of the current game, to be "bold, spontaneous, free in his words," intones. Boldness and freedom at the time, precisely, where policy makers choose overwhelmingly to prevent risks of the Internet by limiting their speech.