‘Le Monde’ in crisis after seven chief editors resign

France’s prestigious daily, Le Monde, plunged into crisis after most of its chief editors resigned from their posts over a conflict with management.

Le Monde, a centre-left daily founded in 1944, is France’s newspaper of record and played a prominent role in the coverage of the revelations of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Many commentators are interpreting the editors’ resignation as a revolt against the paper’s managing editor, Natalie Nougayrède, the first woman to run the paper. A respected diplomatic correspondent, Nougayrède had never held an editorial or management position at the paper before, with staff now complaining she is difficult to talk to and doesn’t listen to them.