Could this be the revelation that denies Segolene Royal her party's nomination for the French presidency?
Days before more than 200,000 French socialists vote in the first round of their election to decide a candidate, grainy video footage of Royal addressing a meeting in Angers in January is flying around the Toile, as the French are supposed to call it.
Indeed, one ranking claims it is the most linked-to French-language video ever. What could she be have been caught doing to attract such outrage? Abusing town hall expenses? Caught in flagrante with Nicolas Sarkozy?
No. Royal is shown telling a meeting that teachers in state schools ought to work a 35-hour week.
If this revelation strikes you as less than outrageous, that's because you fail to appreciate the grip the educational establishment has on French society - remember how the student protests almost sunk Dominique de Villepin - and the Parti Socialiste, of course.
French teachers currently work around 17 or 18 hours each week. They then frequently head home and do not supervise pupils during the rest of the school day: specially employed monitors do that job.
Royal had the temerity to suggest that they shouldn't be earning money from private tuition during school hours.
To some of her opponents - and the pro-Segolene camp claims an ally of one of her rivals for the presidential nomination, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, put the video online - this proves she is a rightwinger at heart and will betray the party. Her supporters say she was taking part in a frank discussion.
Fortunately for her, most of the comments on blogs such as Le Maine-et-Loire avec Segolene Royal are supportive.
"Frankly I don't see what's so shocking about her suggestions. Teachers can easily do marking and preparation at work," writes bouba.
"In any case, lesson plans change relatively little from year to year ... The work is no doubt tough but the holidays aren't bad."
"35 hours at work, I'm totally in favour!" writes Rol. "But how can we manage with classrooms full 100% of the time, a staffroom of 50 square metres for 75 teachers, four PCs and a photocopier that's constantly broken?"
"I'm a teacher," writes Catherine. "I will vote for Segolene ... This confirms what I knew already; Segolene isn't skilled at the langue de bois." ("Langue de bois" is an expression evoking the stilted and meaningless platitudes of politicians.)
Other "anti-Sego" videos are circulating on the web, some of them are distinctly unpleasant. This effort mocks one of the songs her supporters have adopted ("One rose, one woman, one hope, we'll win with Segolene"), setting it to Orwellian footage of screaming citizens and inserting the occasional fart.
All this serves to deflate the almost excessive admiration "Sego" has inspired among her followers.
Mr Sarkozy, who will probably stand for the presidency for the UMP party, has also been the target of derogatory videos. Last month this spliced-together footage was posted on the Dailymotion.com site.
To a menacing soundtrack, it shows footage of heavy-handed police operations interspersed with robust statements by the interior minister.
Some wonder when the American-style negative campaigning will cease. "What next? Her underwear? Her lovers? If so, most of the candidates on the left and the right ought to remain discreet," writes Carnets de Nuit, who has not yet decided how to vote in the 2007 presidential.
When it comes to negative campaigning on the web, France ain't seen nothing yet.
