From the above article...

"Indeed the French Philosophy of the Open Mike might not be a new form of Glasnost but a very primitive trick to express honest opinions by accident so that 1) the message sounds authentic because the speaker is “unaware”, 2) you get the sympathy of the audience because you got busted on camera or on “mike” 3) you get the immediate result of reaching the talk recipient with any name you might call him/her while getting rid of diplomacy and protocol 4) You bring official communication between government officials to a more direct authentic level."

Very interesting thinking.