Two employees of a company that runs the web site of the French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD) have been sacked for their part in spreading rumours that French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife had lovers, the online daily MediaPart reported Friday.
The two employees of the company Newsweb were fired Monday after being found responsible for posting a blog, allegedly by an anonymous author, on the JDD website regarding the Sarkozys' rumoured infidelities, DPA reported.
The rumour was soon picked up by media and bloggers around the world, with the JDD often cited as its source, giving the allegations the appearance of fact.
As a result, Sarkozy was forced into an angry denial at a London press conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown earlier this month.
According to MediaPart, the author of the blog was none other than Newsweb's director of marketing. He apparently based his information on a Twitter message by French online journalist Aude Baron, which started the rumour mill.
Baron said she had merely reported rumours she herself had heard and did not check their accuracy.
"It was kind of a joke," she was quoted as saying.