Short answers, pulled from the story.
Le Figaro was founded in 1826 as a satirical weekly newspaper in France. It became a daily publication in 1866, with its first daily edition on the 16th of November 1866 selling 56,000 copies, the highest circulation of any newspaper in France at the time. It is now the oldest national newspaper in France.
Le Figaro takes its name from a character in plays by Pierre Beaumarchais (1732-1799), specifically Le Mariage de Figaro, a 1778 play that mocked aristocratic privilege. The paper's motto, "Without the freedom to criticise, there is no flattering praise," comes from Figaro's monologue in the play's final act.
Le Figaro has been controlled by Serge Dassault since March 2004, through Groupe Figaro. Dassault owns 80% of the paper. He is a conservative businessman and politician best known for running Dassault Aviation, which he inherited from his father Marcel Dassault (1892-1986).
Le Figaro holds a centre-right editorial stance and has traditionally been the voice of the French upper and middle classes. Managing editor Etienne Mougeotte stated in 2012: "We are a right-wing newspaper and we express it clearly." The paper's ownership by Serge Dassault was a source of controversy over conflicts of interest.
FigaroVox is an online section of figaro.fr launched in 2014 by editorial director Alexis Brezet. Observers described it as a platform for the hard-right, with preferred themes including immigration and Islam as threats to national identity. Sociologist Philippe Corcuff called it "ultraconservative." Since 2019, the section has been headed by Guillaume Perrault.
Le Figaro reached 200,000 website subscribers in November 2020. In 2019, it had 130,000 digital subscribers and ranked among the 50 most visited sites in France. By 2017, it already had 80,000 digital subscribers plus 70,000 holding combined print and digital subscriptions.