Journalists associations
French media and journalism profession are distinctive for the absence of a regulatory body such as a professional order. That basically means a journalist can’t be formally condemned by his peers in case of professional misconduct such as ethics violation, etc. This lack of a professional regulatory body contributes to feed a never-ending debate that resurfaces from time to time on the need to establish a regulatory body for French Journalism. However the strong resistance expressed by elite of journalists on this topic (see below) may even abort this project for a very long time.
Some other established professional bodies contribute to partially regulate the journalism profession. The Commission de la Carte d’Identité des Journalistes Professionnels (Commission for the Identity Cards of Professional Journalists - CCIJP) is the committee that is in charge for delivering and regulating ID cards to professional journalists (see below). In addition the Commission Paritaire Nationale de l’Emploi des journalistes (National Joint Council of Journalism Employment - CPNEJ), monitors the degrees and trainings in journalism delivered by university and schools of journalism in order to highlight and legitimate the most acclaimed diplomas by journalism representatives. The CPNEJ distinguishes only 14 degrees in journalism that are thus so-called reconnus par la profession (see below). This self-assigned power to discriminate between 14 diplomas and others strongly affects the economy of journalism education; these 14 trainings attract most of applicants and are able to enlist the best academic profiles.