Media Moves

French President Emmanuel Macron, contending with a sharp drop in his public approval ratings, has appointed Bruno Roger-Petit as his spokesman, part of an overall shake-up of his communications team. Already well-known in France due to his appearances as a television news presenter and frequent talk-show guest, Roger-Petit will be tasked with “broadcasting the Elysée’s public message” via “any means at his disposal, notably the presidency’s Twitter account,” a statement from Macron’s office said. A survey conducted by international polling and market research firm IFOP on August 25 and 26 showed Macron with an approval rating of 40 percent, down 22 points from the 62 percent rating he had immediately following his election in May.

The Atlantic has brought on Peabody Award-winning broadcast journalist Alison Stewart as a contributing editor in its events division, AtlanticLIVE. Stewart, who began her career at MTV News, has anchored her own programs on NPR, PBS, ABC, and MSNBC. She is also the author of the book, First Class: The Legacy of Dunbar, America's First Black Public High School. In her new role, Stewart will serve as a moderator for The Atlantic’s portfolio of events on topics ranging from healthcare innovations, to social justice, to the future of work. She will be a featured moderator at next month’s Washington Ideas, The Atlantic and Aspen Institute’s annual multi-day event.

Larry Sherman, an actor and former journalist who signed on as President Trump’s first publicist in 1982, when Trump was the owner of the U.S. Football League’s New Jersey Generals, died Saturday of natural causes at 94, according to his son, entertainment publicist Charles Sherman. Larry Sherman was an out-of-work sports journalist with no experience in publicity when he applied for the job as head of PR for the Generals. Trump hired him after just one interview, and Sherman worked for Trump until the USFL went out of business after its 1985 season. Trump often called him "the best PR guy he ever had," according to Charles Sherman. Larry Sherman’s career also included roles in North by Northwest and Butterfield 8, and reporting stints at Newsday, the Long Island Press and the New York Herald Tribune.