Media groups: Macron's press room move could "stain" legacy
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}France's National Union of Journalists has called on President Emmanuel Macron to reconsider a controversial decision to move the press room from inside the presidential palace to a nearby site.
In a statement late Wednesday, the SNJ union said the plan will see journalists "banished" from the Elysee Palace, adding it could put a "stain" on the French president's five-year term.
Macron's advisers announced Wednesday the press room will be moved outside the presidential courtyard for "operational" reasons.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the 1980s, the SNJ says President Francois Mitterrand located it there in a "willingness to be transparent." Groups including the judicial press association say Macron's move might infringe press freedoms.
The decision comes amid broader efforts by Macron to control his public image.