And you thought the relationship between government and the media is cosy now...

Just wait:

President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday unveiled a mini-stimulus package worth €600m to help "save" the French newspaper industry from a plunge in advertising revenues, high production costs and the effects of its difficulty in adapting to the internet age.

The measures costing €200m ($260m, £188m) a year over three years include doubling the amount of government advertising in newspapers, reduced social charges for newspaper delivery workers, a postponement of a planned increase in postage costs, and more generous tax breaks for investment in digital services.

No doubt the New York Times is drooling with anticipation to write an editorial praising the forward-thinking progressive nature of this programme. Well, can you blame them:


(Editor's note: As of 2135h CET no decision has yet been made as to whether ¡No Pasarán! will be lining up for a piece of the action. Should regular readers notice a marked change in the tone of posts, rest assured the decision was made and the cheque has cleared.)