Journalist
He was born on December 16, 1942 in Pavillons-sous-Bois (now Seine-Saint-Denis),
He is a French writer and radio producer, best known for his program Là-bas si j'y suis on France-Inter.
Training and career start
Born on December 16, 1942 in Les Pavillons-sous-Bois (now Seine-Saint-Denis), he comes from a working-class family of eight from the Paris suburbs.
A French journalist, writer and radio producer , he is best known for his program Là-bas si j'y suis on France Inter.
In 1962, he graduated from theÉcole nationale supérieure des arts appliqués et des métiers d'art.
At the same time, his first political commitments brought him closer to the positions of the Front de libération nationale (Algeria) and the Réseau Jeanson. On October 17, 1961, he witnessed the massacre on the Pont Saint-Michel in Paris.
In the late 1960s, he designed and produced wooden toy models for industry.He also designed for the textile industry and contributed to Ellemagazine. He briefly collaborated with Paul Grimault , which gave him the opportunity to meet Pierre and Jacques Prévert.
The 1970s and 1980s
In1973, Daniel Mermet founded the " Théâtre de la table qui recule ". A resounding show, Mortimer Baltimore, was performed at the Festival d'Avignon, among others. The troupe disappeared when its founder joined France Culture in 1976, where he produced daily tales and programs on Art Brut (Dans la Banlieue de l'Art). In 1977, he joined Jean Garretto and Pierre Codou 's "L'Oreille en Coin" on France Inter. He produced a poetic travel program entitled " Dans la ville de Paramaribo, il y a une rue qui monte et qui ne descend jamais " ( " In the city of Paramaribo, there's a street that goes up and never goes down "). Apart from collaborations with the written press and a few television reports, Daniel Mermet spent his entire career at France Inter. He tackled every genre: fear with Chair de Poule (1984), jazz with Charlie Piano Bar (1985), humor with a live program Bienvenue à bord du Titanic (1987), etc. The erotic program La Coulée Douce (summer 1985 and 1986) caused a scandal.
Là-bas si j'y suis (since 1989)
Since September 1989, Mermet has hosted Là-bas si j'y suis, a daily travel, investigative and feature program on France Inter. Around the world, as in France, most often among those who suffer and fight against neoliberal globalization, the program has built up a critical and committed editorial line: " It's true that we're closer to the truck drivers than to the rentiers, closer to the disposable than to the notables ", Mermet keeps repeating. " We don't make a militant show, but it's impossible to remain neutral. To inform is to choose.
The program won the Ondas 1992, Scam 1993 and Conseil Français de l'Audiovisuel 1998awards . Reports from the program served as the basis for Denis Plassard's choreographic show Onde de choc (1999).
In 2002, with Antoine Chao, Daniel Mermet staged Mord la main qui te nourrit (Bite the hand that feeds you) with unemployed trainees at the Maison de la Culture in Amiens. In 2008, with Olivier Azam, he directed " Chomsky et Compagnie ", a documentary film released in cinemas (65,000 admissions) and on DVD.
Legal challenges
Relaxed for incitement to racial hatred
On the initiative of Gilles-William Goldnadel, Daniel Mermet was prosecuted for broadcasting, in 2001, comments made by listeners on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which, according to Goldnadel, constituted "incitement to racial hatred". Mermet was acquitted in July 2002 and finally acquitted by the Versailles Court of Appeal on December 20, 2006. Reporters Without Borders denounced the " growing pressure exerted on journalists criticizingAriel Sharon 's policies ".
Publications
Books
- Là-bas si j'y suis : carnets de voyages, Agenda 2000, Eden, 100 p., 1999, (ISBN 2-913245-09-9)
- Là-bas si j'y suis : carnets de routes, Agenda 2000, Pocket, Paris, 444 p., 2000, (ISBN 2-266-10424-1)
- Là-bas si j'y suis : carnets de voyages, Agenda 2001, Eden, 110 p., 2000, (ISBN 2-913245-22-6)
- Là-bas si j'y suis : carnets de voyages, Agenda 2002, Eden, 150 p., 2001, (ISBN 2-913245-37-4)
- Nos années pierrot, La Découverte, 47p., 2001, (ISBN 2-7071-3578-X)
- Ugly Ohmondieumondieumondieu!, published by Point virgule, 152p., 2002, (ISBN 2020558696)
- L'île du droit à la caresse, Panama, 2004, 26p., (ISBN 2-7557-0128-5)
- Post-scriptum sur l'insignifiance suivi de Dialogue, édition de l'Aube, 149p. 2007, (ISBN 978-2-7526-0372-2)
Films
- Chomsky & Cie, documentary by Olivier Azam and Daniel Mermet based on a radio report for "Là-bas si j'y suis" by Giv Anquetil and Daniel Mermet.
Released in cinemas on November 26, 2008. - Chomsky et le pouvoir, documentary by Olivier Azam and Daniel Mermet based on a new interview with Noam Chomsky conducted in April 2009.
Released on DVD in November 2009 with the first part of the documentary.