French President Nicolas Sarkozy is being widely criticized for his passion for jogging, which some members of his country’s intelligentsia consider to be un-French, right-wing … or even a ploy to brainwash his citizens.

Times Online:

Beyond the self-promotion, some commentators see something sinister in the media fascination with le jogging de Supersarko. The “hypnotic” daily images of presidential running are not innocent, said Daniel Schneidermann, a media critic. Mr Sarkozy uses the video images of his jogging as “a major weapon of media manipulation”, said Mr Schneidermann.

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