Le Canard Enchaîné is one of the oldest and most successful French newspapers. It combines satire and serious investigative journalism and is known for taking shots at politicians and businessmen of all stripes.
Its name means "The Chained-up Duck," a reference to the now-defunct L'Homme Enchaîné, (The Chained-Up Man), which changed its name from L'Homme Libre (The Free Man) after it was subjected to government censorship. Duck is French slang for newspaper.
It is owned by its 60 employees, does not accept advertising and earns its revenue entirely from newspaper sales. It has consistently earned a profit since the 1960s. In 2009 it sold an average of 450,000 copies a week and earned $6.8- million in profits.
"Carla B's Journal," the imaginary diaries of Carla Bruni Sarkozy, wife of President Nicolas Sarkozy, is one of its most popular regular features. It's rumoured that Ms. Bruni Sarkozy sometimes passes tidbits to the newspaper.
The newspaper has broken stories in dozens of scandals. In 1973, secret service police disguised as plumbers were caught trying to install hidden microphones in its offices. In the 1980s, it exposed evidence of alleged corruption at Paris city hall while former president Jacques Chirac was mayor. It has also played a key role in reporting on delays in screening blood products for contamination with the AIDS virus.
Anita Elash