Jean-Marc Sylvestre, longtime TF1 economic journalist, dies at 79
The liberal commentator, a fixture of French television for three decades, died on Monday after a long illness, Atlantico announced.
A television fixture
Jean-Marc Sylvestre, the economic journalist who became one of the most recognisable faces of French television, died on Monday 20 July 2026 at the age of 79. The announcement came a day later from the website Atlantico, where he had served as an editorialist for nearly 15 years. Jean-Sébastien Ferjou, Atlantico's publication director, wrote a personal tribute describing Sylvestre as "a man of laughter, enthusiasm, and sudden but fleeting angers, who adored life."
These words are difficult to write. Because he was a dear friend, but even more because he was the antithesis of death. A man of laughter, enthusiasm, and sudden but fleeting angers. A man who adored life and intended to live every possible experience.
From print to screen
Born in Alençon in the Orne department, Sylvestre held a doctorate in economics and briefly worked as an assistant professor before pivoting to journalism. He joined L'Expansion magazine in 1973, then wrote for Management, La Vie française, and Le Nouvel Économiste. He later became head of the economics section at Le Quotidien de Paris, the newspaper founded by Philippe Tesson, which was known as a breeding ground for sharp, creative writing during the Giscard and Mitterrand eras. In the 1990s, Sylvestre moved to television, joining TF1 and its rolling news channel LCI. Over 18 years he rose to deputy director of information at TF1, becoming the channel's primary voice on economic affairs.
A liberal voice
Sylvestre openly identified as a liberal, a stance that made him something of an outlier in the French media landscape. Ferjou remarked that he was "not a seminar liberal, not a theoretician locked in textbook orthodoxy, not a guardian of economic catechism." In the 2000s, Sylvestre regularly debated the left-wing economist Bernard Maris on France Inter. Their exchanges became a symbol of an era when ideological adversaries could clash with panache and mutual respect. Maris was killed in the January 2015 terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo.
Jean-Marc had always dared to call himself a liberal. A kind of UFO in a media-political world steeped in techno-statism.
Near-death and controversy
In 2003, Sylvestre was hospitalised with a severe nosocomial infection and nearly died. The experience led him to write a book, "Une petite douleur à l'épaule gauche", in which he paid tribute to the public hospital system and French healthcare, despite having spent years criticising their management and the social security deficit. Two decades later, in 2024, he sparked a public row by complaining about his €9,000 monthly pension, a remark that drew sharp reactions.
Later years and death
After leaving TF1 in 2010, Sylvestre joined i-Télé (which later became CNews) and also appeared on BFM. He later hosted the programme "Smart PME" on B Smart. In September 2024, at the age of 77, he became a columnist on Cyril Hanouna's popular talk show "Touche pas à mon poste". He continued writing for Atlantico until his death. Sylvestre died after a long illness, leaving behind a career that spanned print, radio, and television, and a reputation as one of France's most distinctive economic commentators.
