 | |
| Industry | Subscription news websites |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | Maurice Botbol |
| Headquarters | Paris |
| Products | Africa Intelligence, Intelligence Online, Glitz.paris, La Lettre A |
| Revenue | €6.7 million (2021) |
| Owner | Quentin Botbol |
Number of employees | 60 (2021) |
| Website | indigo.fr/en |
Indigo Publications is a French company that publishes 4 news websites, mostly dedicated to specialized business sectors.
Indigo Publications was established in Paris in 1981. [1] Founder Maurice Botbol assembled a small team of investigative journalists dedicated to economic news. Botbol serves as director of Indigo Publications and was President of the Syndicat presse indépendante d' information en ligne (Union of the Independent Press Information Online). [2] Indigo is a French media group serving a global audience, but hangs its credibility on remaining editorially independent: as Botbol explains, "We are not culturally partisan, either toward France's interests nor those of the third world.... We are very careful not to have any 'national' positioning." [3] : 145
The Indian Ocean Newsletter was the first Indigo publication, focused on the business interests of East and southern Africa and the Indian Ocean states. Over the years, the company launched other regional titles including the economic newsletter for Francophone Africa, La Lettre du Continent (and its English equivalent, West Africa Newsletter); the North African newspaper Maghreb Confidential; and more specialized business publications like Africa Mining Intelligence and Intelligence Online. In 2007, Indigo acquired La Lettre A, a newsletter established in 1978 that specializes in news and analysis of politics and business in France. In April 2011, Indigo launched an online spinoff of La Lettre A called Entourages.[ citation needed ]
The company functions as a SAS (sociétés par actions simplifiées), with headquarters in Paris in the rue Montmartre. [1]
On December 16, 2013, Indigo Publications and another French digital publisher, Mediapart, were audited by the French Inland Revenue Service over Value-added tax (VAT). [4] [5] [6] The VAT rate for online news was 19.6% (20% starting in 2014), while that of traditional media was 2.1%, a disparity that had been in place since 2009. [7] [8] [9] The companies contested the higher rate, and on January 31, 2015, in a ruling opposed by the European Commission, but consistent with the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the French Budget Ministry issued taxing instructions, and a law was unanimously adopted by the National Assembly on February 4, and by the Senate on February 17, 2014, granting equality of tax treatment between traditional print and digital press. [2] [8] [10]
Under the ownership of Quentin Botbol, Indigo Publications maintains its focus on investigative journalism and editorial independence. However, Intelligence Online has faced scrutiny, with some observers questioning its neutrality in covering intelligence affairs and private-sector influence in international security. In some cases, its reporting has led to allegations of defamation, raising concerns about its journalistic practices.
 | This section needs additional citations for verification .(June 2015) |
Indigo publishes six news websites and 16 specialized newsletters. Since 1995, Indigo Publications has implemented a digital development strategy, and went with all digital publication of Intelligence Online and all the company's Africa publications, on the Africa Intelligence website in April 2013. [11] As of January 2016, all publications are now 100% digital.
Intelligence Online, formerly Intelligence Newsletter, reports on and analyses secret diplomacy, parallel operations and conflicts around the world, focusing on the role of government intelligence agencies, corporate intelligence firms and lobby groups. It also investigates money-laundering, political instability, terrorism, espionage and organized crime in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Pierre Gastineau is the Editor-in-Chief.
The Indian Ocean Newsletter is a newsletter-style publication covering the business and economies of East Africa and the Indian Ocean states. It provides news and analysis of the region's business communities and economic affairs, as well as related political issues. The newsletter has been published fortnightly since 1981. Tristan Coloma is the editor-in-chief.
Africa Mining Intelligence is a specialist publication for the mining industry in Africa. Africa Mining Intelligence covers the mining business, reporting on deals in the sector, the business strategies of the key players and on the policies of governments and state-owned mining companies. It also provides detailed background information about the sector's movers and shakers. It has been published fortnightly since 2000. Louise Margolin is the Editor-in-Chief.
West Africa Newsletter, and its French-language version, La Lettre du Continent, are newsletter-style publications focused on business and economic affairs in French-speaking West and Central Africa. The newsletter covers the activities of the region's business communities, while its "Corridors of Power" section provides news and analysis of national and international politics. It has been published fortnightly since 1985. Philippe Vasset is the Editor-in-Chief. Its founder is the retired journalist Antoine Glaser. [12]
Maghreb Confidential is a newsletter specializing in North African politics and business. It has been published each week since 1990. Maghreb Confidential provides news and expert analysis of the evolving economic, political and diplomatic situation in North Africa, examining the public and less visible activities of the most influential players in politics and business and reporting on the latest business negotiations and deals. Lazare Beullac is the Editor-in-Chief of Maghreb Confidential.
La Lettre A is dedicated to the political, economic and media news in France. Marion Deye is the Editor-in-Chief of La Lettre A.
Cameroon's noncontentious, low-profile approach to foreign relations puts it squarely in the middle of other African and developing country states on major issues. It supports the principles of non-interference in the affairs of third world countries and increased assistance to underdeveloped countries. Cameroon is an active participant in the United Nations, where its voting record demonstrates its commitment to causes that include international peacekeeping, the rule of law, environmental protection, and Third World economic development. In the UN and other human rights fora, Cameroon's non-confrontational approach has generally led it to avoid criticizing other countries.
Madagascar has diplomatic relations with many countries, both individual bilateral relations and by virtue of its membership of African and other regional blocs. International aid has been received from the IMF and the World Bank, and a national environmental plan supported by the World Bank and USAID began in 1990.
Although Togo's foreign policy is nonaligned, it has strong historical and cultural ties with western Europe, especially France and Germany. Togo is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, exchanging high commissioners with other Commonwealth countries. It recognizes the People's Republic of China, North Korea, and Cuba, and re-established relations with Israel in 1987.
Former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has maintained Tunisia's long-time policy of seeking good relations with the West, while playing an active role in Arab and African regional bodies. President Habib Bourguiba took a nonaligned stance but emphasized close relations with Europe, Pakistan, and the United States.
Le Monde is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including 40,000 sold abroad. It has been available online since 1995, and it is often the only French newspaper easily obtainable in non-French-speaking countries. It should not be confused with the monthly publication Le Monde diplomatique, of which Le Monde has 51% ownership but is editorially independent. Le Monde is considered one of the French newspapers of record, along with Libération and Le Figaro. A Reuters Institute poll in 2021 found that Le Monde is the most trusted French newspaper.
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Philippe Vasset is a French novelist and journalist. He is the editor in chief of the investigative newsletters Africa Energy Intelligence and Intelligence Online, published by Indigo Publications press group. He worked as a corporate detective in the United States before becoming a journalist and, in 1993, won the prize of Best Young Writer awarded by the French daily Le Monde. Following his debut ScriptGenerator®™ (2004), he has already written a second novel.
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Democratic Republic of Congo formerly known as Zaire is a country located in central Africa. Its the second largest country in Africa and 11th in the world.
The mass media in Tunisia is an economic sector. Under the authoritarian regimes of Habib Bourguiba, and then Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, it saw periods of liberalization and then challenges, notably due to Tunisian censorship. The 2010-2011 Tunisian protests and the subsequent change in government may bring significant change in this domain.
Mediapart is an independent French investigative online newspaper created in 2008 by Edwy Plenel, former editor-in-chief of Le Monde. It is published in French, English, and Spanish.
Foreign relations of Djibouti are managed by the Djiboutian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Djibouti maintains close ties with the governments of Somalia, Ethiopia, France and the United States. It is likewise an active participant in African Union, United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Arab League affairs.
This article is a partial translation of the Cash investigation article on the French Wikipedia. The image and some of the information it contains were drawn from there.
Lotfi Bel Hadj is a French-Tunisian essayist, economist, and businessman. Born in Saint-Denis, he is the nephew of the former President of Tunisia Moncef Marzouki.
La Nouvelle tribune is a daily newspaper in Benin. Founded in 2001, the newspaper publishes national and international news in the French language. The newspaper is registered with the High Authority of Audio-Visual and Communication of Benin.
Avisa Partners is a French firm involved in lobbying, cybersecurity and copyright, competitive intelligence, and online influence. It was created in 2010 and evolved from predecessors including iStrat and a 2018 merger between Demeter, Lexfo and Avisa.
Mario Brero is an Italian private detective heading five companies registered in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1989 he founded Alp Services SA, a private investigation business, focusing on banks, law firms and wealthy clients with "advice, support, strategic guidance, diplomatic intermediation and organisation in crisis management and image reputation" and with "national and international investigations and inquiries, notably commercial and financial, in combating money laundering, counterfeiting, parallel markets, economic and/or computer crime; surveillance and protection of individuals and companies, crisis and risk management, asset searches, due diligence, auditing.