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Comment by CaptainZapp | Hacker News Reader

  France for the past four years, weekly newspaper Canard Enchaine reports Wednesday without citing sources.

Er, Canard Enchaine is a satirical paper. Quite good, usually, in annoying politicians.

I would read this news with a barrel full of salt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canard_enchaine

EDIT: Added Wikipedia link

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While satirical, they specialize in investigations, especially related to insider knowledge and whistle blowers. Only the tone is not serious, the content is alway backed with proofs.

Le Monde, an authoritative newspaper as well as others picked up the news too [1]

The Google News issue seems a different matter, the billion in question is due to an (alleged) tax fraud using the technique of the Double Irish with a Dutch Sandwich [2]

[1] (fr) http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2012/10/30/le-fis...

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Irish_arrangement

Ok, I stand corrected.

I just thought it's a pretty weird source. Especially the "without citing sources" sounded fishy to me.

They are well known for protecting their sources, and for doing a thorough job in having multiple independent confirmations.

The "Canard Enchainé" is one of the oldest french newspaper still in print, and probably the only one not using ads or receiving public help.

How is that a tax fraud if it's legal? One of the goal of the EU is the ability to operate a business from one member state to another without any taxation or customs fees. So asking Google to pay these is ridiculous.

The goal is allow businesses to operate between member states as easily as within them, which includes preventing double taxation. The Double Irish thing is exploiting a loophole created by the combination of such EU regulations and peculiarities of the Durch and Irish tax codes, to effectively avoid taxation entirely, which may not be against the letter of the law, but certainly against its spirit.

It's quite possible for such things to be retroactively declared invalid, such as in the case of Hoolywood's "stupid German money": http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/media/2003-08-11-hollyw...

This is true, but Google is hardly the only company using these loopholes in the EU. It makes little sense to make them an example, unless you were also trying to pressure them on another front (newspapers).

Why not go for the best biggest payday and make a lesson for everyone else to fall in line?

well, at least Apple and Microsoft would make for bigger paydays, and I'm sure there are more. Apple obviously has far higher revenue and profits, and they earn the majority of both abroad.

It is possible they'll go for all the big players, though, who knows.

It is satirical but very serious and definitely about real news unlike the Onion. In the past it has revealed quite a few scandals. This page lists them (in french, sorry) :

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_d%27affaires_r%C3%A9v%C3%...

Example in english :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamonds_Affair

The UK equivalent would be Private Eye which also carries campaigning investigative journalism alongside the humour and satire.

Le canard enchainé is highly respected by french reader for its accuracy and independence. It happens that they use a satirical tone, but their investigation are always strongly documented. That's why they are feared by every politician and public figures in general. By the way they are one of the very few french newspaper that make a profit without any financial help from the state (4,81 M Euros profit in 2011, french source : http://www.challenges.fr/media/20120828.AFP6975/le-canard-en...)

I imagine this is the American equivalent to when Iranian news agencies cite the Onion[1].

[1]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49226254/ns/us_news-weird_news/t...

Le Canard is much more like "Private Eye" in the UK - they actually have a tradition of real journalism, sourced facts, and an independance that allows them to shout BS

Of course they make most money from jokes, but then investigative journalism seems to mostly be bugging answerphones to find out who you are sleeping with.

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