Staff and format conflicts, it is said.
Natalie Nougayrede, the first female editor-in-chief of the prestigious French daily Le Monde, has quit after a power struggle with top staff who staged a protest last week over her plans to revamp the newspaper.
Last week, seven senior editors stepped down from their posts after disputes over a planned new print format, a tablet edition and disagreements about planned personnel changes.
"The personal and direct attacks against the management and myself prevent me from implementing the transformation plan I put to shareholders and which requires the broad agreement of the editorial teams," Nougayrede said in an email to staff.