A Singular Voice on France 2 News: The Léa Salamé Bet

Léa Salamé Glucksman will succeed Anne-Sophie Lapix as the head of the TF1 news program

Léa Salamé will succeed Anne‑Sophie Lapix as the presenter of the 20 Heures on France 2 starting this fall. She is thus leaving the morning show of France Inter, which she has hosted since 2014 with Nicolas Demorand. The announcement, made official by Delphine Ernotte on June 19, 2025, marks a strategic turning point for France Télévisions, at a time when public information is called to reinvent itself.

This appointment reflects a desire to reposition the television news as a space of journalistic rigor and editorial diversity, in a landscape where the erosion of linear audience and the proliferation of fake news complicate the mission of public service. According to the latest figures from Médiamétrie, the 20 Heures of France 2 gathered an average of 4.7 million viewers at the beginning of 2025, compared to more than 5.5 million five years earlier.

Born in Beirut into a wealthy family, with an intellectual father in exile and an artist mother of Armenian origin, Léa Salamé embodies the legacy of exile and cosmopolitan culture. Married to Raphaël Glucksmann, the young mother advocates for demanding journalism, despite the areas of friction that the permeability between private life and the public sphere sometimes imposes.
Born in Beirut into a wealthy family, with an intellectual father in exile and an artist mother of Armenian origin, Léa Salamé embodies the legacy of exile and cosmopolitan culture. Married to Raphaël Glucksmann, the young mother advocates for demanding journalism, despite the areas of friction that the permeability between private life and the public sphere sometimes imposes.

An Expected Editorial Shift

The choice of Léa Salamé, known for her incisive interviews and uncompromising tone, could mark a shift in the editorial line of the news. Journalism researchers, such as Jean-Marie Charon, perceive an intention to highlight more divisive or complex topics. Indeed, this deviates from a "soft consensus" often criticized in television news.

Already, when she hosted Vous avez la parole or Élysée 2022, Salamé demonstrated an ability to ask fundamental questions, sometimes unsettling, while giving space to contradiction. According to Claire Sécail (CNRS), this could strengthen the "counter-power" function of the news. Indeed, this influence is particularly notable during a pre-election period.

Some past examples illustrate this shift: Salamé did not hesitate to challenge Emmanuel Macron on the security record in 2022, or to question Éric Zemmour on his controversial use of history. Her arrival could redirect the agenda priorities of the France 2 news towards more domestic politics. Moreover, this would include more geopolitical analysis and sensitive societal issues.

Eight years of shared morning shows on France Inter, a subtle rapport between two sharp minds. Nicolas Demorand and Léa Salamé have created a tone, between seriousness and irreverence, that has become essential in the radio landscape.
Eight years of shared morning shows on France Inter, a subtle rapport between two sharp minds. Nicolas Demorand and Léa Salamé have created a tone, between seriousness and irreverence, that has become essential in the radio landscape.

A Demanding Context for Public Service

This appointment is part of a broader strategic reflection on the future of public information. In 2023, the Gauron report on the future of public broadcasting emphasized the need to ensure effective pluralism, actively combat misinformation, and restore trust between media and citizens.

France Télévisions is now required to be accountable, not only for its content but also for its social representations, digital accessibility, and its ability to speak to all generations. The appointment of a popular figure, both serious and media-savvy, like Léa Salamé, is part of a bet on the embodiment of this mission.

On the set of Quels Jeux!, Léa Salamé and Cyril Féraud combined television elegance with Olympic fervor. A rare foray into entertainment took place. Thus, the journalist's rigor was tinged with a lightness. Moreover, this approach was praised by a diverse audience.
On the set of Quels Jeux!, Léa Salamé and Cyril Féraud combined television elegance with Olympic fervor. A rare foray into entertainment took place. Thus, the journalist’s rigor was tinged with a lightness. Moreover, this approach was praised by a diverse audience.

A Journalist at the Crossroads of Influences

Born in Lebanon, educated at Sciences Po Paris and then in New York, Léa Salamé embodies a certain cultural globalization of information. This bicultural profile brings her closer to other major figures in information like Christiane Amanpour (CNN International), who has also made fieldwork, critical analysis, and the refusal of consensus the pillars of her notoriety.

In France, her appointment to the 20 Heures can be compared to that, in his time, of David Pujadas, who also brought a more analytical tone to the presentation. But where Pujadas embodied a form of distance, Salamé claims a charismatic, engaged, sometimes unsettling presence.

The rapport between Léa Salamé and Pharrell Williams symbolizes the eclecticism of the journalist, who is accustomed to talk shows and capable of transitioning from the Élysée to global showbiz icons.
The rapport between Léa Salamé and Pharrell Williams symbolizes the eclecticism of the journalist, who is accustomed to talk shows and capable of transitioning from the Élysée to global showbiz icons.

A Divisive but Anchored Media Figure

Léa Salamé has faced numerous controversies. Her relationship with Raphaël Glucksmann, an MEP, forced her to temporarily withdraw from political debates. She has also been criticized for her style, sometimes considered abrupt or even authoritarian.

Yet, her media presence remains solid. According to a study by INA (2024), Salamé was among the three most present journalists on air on national political topics. The Viavoice barometer regularly ranks her among the most credible journalists among 18–34-year-olds, an audience that France 2 traditionally struggles to capture.

Towards a New Era of the 20 Heures?

With the departure of Anne-Sophie Lapix for M6, France 2 has lost a figure recognized for her professionalism and neutrality. By entrusting the news to Léa Salamé, the management is betting on a form of editorial uniqueness, capable of breathing new life into a format that many predicted was doomed.

It remains to be seen if the transition will succeed. The journalist also retains Quelle époque !, whose lighter tone could balance the seriousness of the 20 Heures. A balance between entertainment, culture, and politics thus seems to be emerging in her schedule, reflecting a strategy of transversality desired by Delphine Ernotte.

Ultimately, Léa Salamé is not simply replacing a presenter. She carries with her a journalistic project, a tone, and a promise: that of a reinvented news, serving an exacting pluralism and a more active media democracy.

This article was written by Christian Pierre.