Macron calls Bardella's alleged anti-Semitic comments 'very serious'
French president urges National Rally to clarify its stance amid controversy.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Jordan Bardella
Photograph: European Union via Wikimedia Commons (European Parliament)
What this story says
- French President Emmanuel Macron has labelled alleged anti-Semitic comments attributed to Jordan Bardella as 'very serious and unacceptable'.
- Jordan Bardella, leader of the National Rally, responded to Macron by highlighting his participation in a Paris protest after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
- Bardella stated that Macron did not participate in the same protest, which took place on the streets of Paris.
- The alleged comments were reportedly made in private conversations nearly a decade ago.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 5 of the 11 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
60/100
Hype
41/100
11 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 1 of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
French President Emmanuel Macron has described alleged anti-Semitic comments attributed to Jordan Bardella as 'very serious and unacceptable'. The comments are reportedly from private conversations that took place almost a decade ago. In response, Jordan Bardella, the leader of the National Rally party, stated that he had participated in a protest in the streets of Paris following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Bardella contrasted his actions with those of President Macron, asserting that the president had not joined the protest.
Disagreement on protest participation
Reports agree that Jordan Bardella stated he protested in Paris after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, and that Emmanuel Macron did not. However, one digest specifies that the protest Bardella referred to was a march against anti-Semitism on November 12, 2023, on the streets of Paris. Other digests mention a 'march' or 'demonstration' in Paris without specifying the date or nature of the event beyond its connection to the post-October 7 period.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mention the specific date of the protest Bardella participated in. None of the centre-rated digests mention the specific date of the protest Bardella participated in. None of the right-rated digests mention the specific date of the protest Bardella participated in.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 30 Sept 2026, 19:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
4 rated outlets
- The left-rated digests led on the exchange between Macron and Bardella regarding the alleged anti-Semitic comments. They highlighted Macron's description of the remarks as 'very serious and unacceptable' and his call for the National Rally to 'clarify its line'. The digests also featured Bardella's counter-statement about protesting in Paris after October 7, 2023, contrasting his actions with Macron's.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The centre-rated digest focused on Jordan Bardella's response to Emmanuel Macron concerning anti-Semitism allegations. It noted Bardella's claim that he had demonstrated in Paris after October 7, 2023, contrary to the President. The digest also mentioned Bardella's accusation of anti-Semitism and Macron's reaction.
Right
1 rated outlet
- The right-rated digest led with Emmanuel Macron's statement calling for the National Rally to 'clarify the line, the words, the people in their party' following the publication of anti-Semitic messages attributed to Jordan Bardella. It also included Macron's characterisation of Bardella's alleged remarks as 'gravissim and unacceptable'. The digest also reported Bardella's reply about protesting in Paris after October 7, 2023.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Macron calls Bardella's alleged anti-Semitic comments 'very serious'?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 67% are rated left, 16% are rated centre, 17% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 11. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Macron calls Bardella's alleged anti-Semitic comments 'very serious' left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Macron calls Bardella's alleged anti-Semitic comments 'very serious' biased?
- Macron calls Bardella's alleged anti-Semitic comments 'very serious' is one event reported by 11 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Macron calls Bardella's alleged anti-Semitic comments 'very serious'?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Macron calls Bardella's alleged anti-Semitic comments 'very serious'?
- 11 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did Emmanuel Macron say about Jordan Bardella's alleged comments?
- Emmanuel Macron described the alleged anti-Semitic comments attributed to Jordan Bardella as 'very serious and unacceptable'. He also called on the National Rally party to 'clarify its line'.
- How did Jordan Bardella respond to Macron?
- Jordan Bardella responded by stating that he had participated in a protest in the streets of Paris after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, and that President Macron had not.
- When were the alleged anti-Semitic comments made?
- The alleged anti-Semitic comments were reportedly made in private conversations almost a decade ago.
Read it at the source
11 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
4- Macron Call Antisemitic Allegations Against Bardella 'Extremely Serious' (opens Le Monde in a new tab)
- Jordan Bardella Accused of Anti-Semitism, Macron Urges the Far Right to "Clarify" His Line (opens La Presse in a new tab)
- Jordan Bardella Accused of Anti-Semitism: Emmanuel Macron Criticises the ... (opens Liberation in a new tab)
Liberation — is Liberation biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Bardella Replies to Macron on Anti-Semitism: "After October 7, 2023, I Walked in the Streets of Paris, Not Him" (opens Mediapart in a new tab)
Centre
1Right
1Not rated
5- Bardella on Macron: After October 7, 2023, I Protested, He Didn't (opens sigmalive.com in a new tab)
sigmalive.com — is sigmalive.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Bardella on Macron: After October 7, 2023, I Protested in the Streets of Paris, He Did Not (opens Capital.gr in a new tab)
Capital.gr — is Capital.gr biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Bardella's Response to Macron on Anti-Semitic Comments: After October 7, 2023, I Protested in the Streets of Paris, He Did Not (opens Naftemporiki in a new tab)
Naftemporiki — is Naftemporiki biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- "After October 7, 2023, I Walked in the Streets of Paris, Not Him": Jordan Bardella Answers Emmanuel Macron (opens L'Opinion in a new tab)
L'Opinion — is L'Opinion biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Bardella Against Macron: Who Protested Against Anti-Semitism? (opens Business Daily in a new tab)
Business Daily — is Business Daily biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
