(), previously known as (2014–2024), (1964–2014), (1954–1964), (1953–1954), and (1950–1953), is a weekly

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio, or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories in greater depth than newspapers or new ...

. Based in the

2nd arrondissement of Paris The 2nd arrondissement of Paris (''IIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''deuxième'' (second/the second). It is governed locall ...

, ' is one of the three most prominent French news magazines alongside ''

Le Point ''Le Point'' () is a French weekly political and conservative news magazine published in Paris. It is one of the three major French news magazines. ''Le Point'' was founded in 1972 by former journalists of ''L'Express'' and quickly rose to be ...

'' and ''

L'Express (, stylized in all caps) is a French weekly news magazine headquartered in Paris. The weekly stands at the political centre-right in the French media landscape, and has a lifestyle supplement, ''L'Express Styles'', and a job supplement, ''R� ...

''. Its current editor is Cécile Prieur.

History and profile

The magazine was established in 1950 as '. It became ' in 1953 and ' in 1954. The name ' was adopted in 1964. The 1964 incarnation of the magazine was founded by

Jean Daniel Jean Daniel Bensaid (21 July 1920 – 19 February 2020) was a French journalist and author. He was the founder and executive editor of '' Le Nouvel Observateur'' weekly now known as ''L'Obs''. Life and career Daniel was born in Blida, Algeria, ...

and

Claude Perdriel Claude Perdriel (born 25 October 1926) is owner-manager of the Perdriel Group that publishes '' Sciences et Avenir'', '' Challenges'', '' Rue89'' and during 1970–1980, the Paris daily ''Le Matin de Paris''. It also published ''Le Nouvel Obse ...

Since 1964, ' has been published by Groupe Nouvel Observateur on a weekly basis and has covered political, business and economic news. It features extensive coverage of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an,

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

ern and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n political, commercial and cultural issues. Its strongest areas are political and literary matters, and it is noted for its in-depth treatment of the day's main issues. It has been described as "the French intellectuals' parish magazine", or more pejoratively as "the quasi-official organ of France's ''

gauche caviar ''Gauche caviar'' ("Caviar left") is a pejorative French term to describe someone who claims to be a socialist while living in a way that contradicts socialist values. The expression is a political neologism dating from the 1980s and implies a deg ...

'' aviar left. It is often referred to as ' for short.

Franz-Olivier Giesbert Franz-Olivier Giesbert (born January 18, 1949) is an American-born French journalist, author, and television presenter. Early life Franz-Olivier Giesbert's American father was a painter and G.I. during D-Day, and his mother, a philosophy teacher ...

joined the ' in 1971 as a journalist in the political department and then became a reporter. In 1985, Giesbert became the editorial director. Patrick Fiole and Christina Sourieau launched the magazine's internet site in 1999. The magazine's new charter, adopted in June 2004 (on the 40th anniversary of its foundation), outlines the paper's principles: "The ' is a cultural and political weekly whose orientation belongs within the general

social-democratic Social democracy is a social, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achieving social equality. In modern practice, socia ...

movement. A tradition ever concerned with combining respect for freedom and the quest for social justice." Alongside its editorial activities, the Nouvel Observateur group bought the online news site ''

Rue89 Rue89 is a French news website started by former journalists from the newspaper ''Libération''. It was officially launched on 6 May 2007, on the day of the second round of the French presidential election. Its news editor is Pascal Riché, form ...

'' in December 2011, becoming its only shareholder. In January 2014, the owners of ',

Pierre Bergé Pierre Vital Georges Bergé (; 14 November 1930 – 8 September 2017) was a French industrialist and patron. He co-founded the fashion label Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), and was a longtime business partner—and onetime significant other—of its ...

Xavier Niel Xavier Niel (; born 25 August 1967) is a French billionaire businessman. He is involved in the telecommunications and technology industry and is the founder and majority shareholder of the French Internet service provider and mobile operator Il ...

, and

Matthieu Pigasse Matthieu Pigasse (born 1968) is a French investment banker, media mogul and investor. He previously served as Lazard's Global Head of Mergers and Acquisitions and Sovereign Advisory, as well as CEO of Lazard France. He currently serves as head o ...

, purchased a 65% stake in the magazine. On 12 March 2014 the two co-directors of the press group, Laurent Joffrin and Nathalie Collin, resigned because the ' was being sold to ''Le Monde''. On 23 October 2014, the magazine was renamed ''L’Obs'' and its layout was changed to include in-depth reports on investigations, stories and discussions of ideas. Its current editorial board is headed by two of its co-founders, Jean Daniel and Claude Perdriel, two editors-in-chief,

Laurent Joffrin Laurent Joffrin (born 30 June 1952) is a French journalist and the editor of the newspaper ''Libération''.

and , and the director general, Jacqueline Galvez.

André Gorz Gérard Horst (; , ; 9 February 1923 – 22 September 2007), more commonly known by his pen names André Gorz () and Michel Bosquet (), was an Austrian-French social philosopher and journalist and critic of work. He co-founded '' Le Nouvel Ob ...

and other journalists who had left ''

'' helped to found the publication. The holding company Le Monde Libre, the majority shareholder of

Groupe Le Monde (previously known as ) or ''Société éditrice du Monde'' is a French mass media company that publishes newspaper. Their headquarters are located in Paris, France. History Before the end of the year 2006, the group La Vie-Le Monde, majority ...

, owns 99% of the weekly ''Le Nouvel Obs''. On 21 March 2024, the magazine changed its name from to .

Related publications

' formerly published ''ParisObs'', a general information supplement focusing on Paris and the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

region, also published weekly. ''

Challenges Challenge may refer to: * Voter challenging or caging (voter suppression), caging, a method of challenging the registration status of voters * Euphemism for disability * Peremptory challenge, a dismissal of potential jurors from jury duty Law ...

'' is an international business magazine published by ' since 1982. Released every two weeks, it contains information on companies and their managers at the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

level all around the world. ''TéleObs'' is a supplement containing articles about TV and

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ** Filmmaking, the process of making a film * Movie theate ...

. It was published every two weeks until October 2014, when it began to be published weekly. In March 2012, ' launched ''Obsession'', a monthly supplement focused on fashion.

Circulation

The circulation of ' was 385,000 copies in 1981, 340,000 copies in 1987 and 370,000 copies in 1988. In 2001–2002, the magazine had a circulation of 471,000 copies. In 2010, its circulation was 502,108 copies, making it the best-selling European news magazine. The magazine had a circulation of 526,732 copies during the first half of 2013 and 460,780 copies in 2014. In 2014, ' was one of the highest-circulated news magazines in France.

References

External links

*
Mobile version

The ''Nouvel Observateur's'' 2004 Charter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obs 1964 establishments in France French-language magazines News magazines published in France Weekly magazines published in France French news websites Magazines established in 1964 Magazines published in Paris

History and profile

Related publications

Circulation

See also

References

External links