"I have an incredible vantage point on the world": Xavier de Moulins celebrates 15 years at the helm of the 7:45 p.m. news on M6

It's surprising to be the embodiment of a television news program when you have such a beautiful radio voice. This is the life chosen by Xavier de Moulins, a leading figure of the 7:45 p.m. news on M6 for 15 years, in addition to serving on RTL... all the same. Fifteen years of news is a dive into a violent, exciting, and different era, which the journalist retraces in our columns.

What does this anniversary, 15 years, represent for you?

Fifteen years is no small feat, and yet it has flown by in a flash because the pace is such that it resembles a space-time rift. And then the madness of the world and the speed of current events make it impossible to stop and think.

What memories do you have of your first 19:45?

I didn't come from a news background at all to begin with, so there was a lot of pressure but also emotion when you take on a new challenge.

Has information processing evolved in 15 years?

Ultimately, I feel like the world has gone crazy since the Arab Spring of 2011, and everything has gotten worse and more complex since then, with one crisis after another. So we're trying to adapt; it's like a series that never stops... There hasn't been a break in fifteen years. What's incredible is seeing the world change before our eyes. Between technological developments and climate change, everything is changing.

How do we absorb all this?

We have a responsibility as newscasters. He's sixteen, so we've all matured by presenting him every weekday. We've established something and learned to work together in adversity. When you cover major moments in history, it strengthens your cohesion, and to avoid sinking, you have to have a strong personal universe and not get sucked in. I write, I have RTL, I have a passion for horses, my loved ones; this allows me to diversify and not be polluted by the toxicity of the product we handle every evening: the news. We mustn't confuse the world with the times. We comment on the times.

What events have had the greatest impact on you in 15 years?

The various attacks in France. It starts with Mohamed Merah [who killed seven people in March 2012 in Toulouse and Montauban, editor's note] , goes through 2015, with Charlie Hebdo , with the Bataclan, the terraces, but also Nice in July 2016, Arnaud Beltrame [a gendarmerie colonel who died following a terrorist attack in March 2018 in Aude] ... This whole phase was delicate. Then there are other strong markers like school bullying and climate change. And then the lockdown is a special moment, there were twelve of us in the M6 ​​building at that time to present the news. I realize that the news has distorted my relationship with time, everything seems so far away and tomorrow feels like a thousand years away. We move on very quickly when we deal with the news, including the good times like the 2024 Olympics.

Has the profession changed in 15 years?

Yes, we're here to put things back in order, to constantly check. This reaffirms the importance of our mission to inform. We must track down false information; our responsibility is even greater.

M6 has introduced a special stand-up news program. How is this different?

I must be the only news anchor who has never sat down. (laughs) Looking back, we started a movement to energize the show and capture people's attention. I have 1,200 rituals before presenting the 7:45 p.m. news , but that doesn't stress me out; this regularity has taught me to discover the power of discipline, which allows for a great deal of freedom.

How can we not be tired of such redundancy?

The news never tires. And that gives me a culture of events; we have a kind of internal library that allows us to connect everything together. When I go on vacation, I miss the adrenaline rush of live coverage, but I quickly reconnect when I return. I don't forget that the news continues without me; it's stronger than me. I'm just a link, the showcase.

What would you say to Xavier du Moulins in 2009?

Don't worry, it'll take you ten years to feel comfortable and go into people's homes, become part of their families, but you'll have a blast. I'm lucky to be in this position; I have an incredible vantage point on the world. We have a front row seat.

>> 7:45 p.m., Monday to Friday at 7:45 p.m., on M6.