StreetPress is stepping into the "battle of the municipal elections," a few months ahead of the polls scheduled for March 2026. At the heart of this new editorial offering, an interactive map of France that assigns each municipality a risk rating from A to E, modeled on Nutri-score, indicating the probability of a shift toward the far right. The tool thus provides an immediate reading of local tensions, department by department, and suggests ways to take action.
An ambitious and costly project, accompanied by a bill of 300,000 euros, which mobilized a large part of the editorial team for nearly nine months. But for StreetPress, it is an essential undertaking, both editorial and political, to
Strengthen territorial coverage
Initially based in Paris and its suburbs, StreetPress now reaches readers across France.
To reach this audience spread across the country and disseminate its investigations more widely, StreetPress found maps to be an effective medium. The approach is not new: in 2022, the media outlet published a map of hooligans in France, then in 2024, CartoFaf, which racked up 1.7 million views since its launch. The new map dedicated to municipal elections, accessible by email registration, recorded 24,000 registrations two days after launch, then 31,000 on the eve of this article's publication, according to Johan Weisz-Myara.
Beyond reading articles, registered users can receive newsletters tailored to their department. To achieve this, the editorial team — modest compared to major national media outlets — combines press article curation with automation. "We're covering more than 35,000 municipalities with their lists of candidates. We don't have the capacity, even if we quadrupled the number of journalists in our newsroom, to cover all these topics," explains the founder of StreetPress. One journalist monitors national news, and the collected content is published on the "municipal elections battle" page. Through an automated system, each registered user receives a selection of articles based on their location.
Organization and costs: partner with trusted allies
Fully aware that a field presence cannot be built overnight, the investigative media outlet is betting on two complementary approaches to ensure its local establishment: training and partnerships with associations and NGOs.
On the training side, a program for journalists, set to start "soon", will focus on "OSINT and (their) investigation methods on the far right". Free training, open to everyone, with no strings attached. A journalist employed by another newsroom can participate "even if we don't use any of their articles afterward" assures Johan Weisz-Myara.
The media also addresses citizens, with training dedicated to 'better understanding the far right to better counter it' as well as content creators on the Internet. 'Our goal is to give them the keys and tools so they feel legitimate speaking out on these subjects when professional media have published investigations,' explains the media director, who sees these web actors as key relays. These trainings, different from those intended for journalists, are currently open for applications and address content creators working across multiple platforms (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok…).
Since the project's launch, StreetPress has also been able to count on the support of partner media outlets, such as Basta!, Vert and Splaan ! to share the map with their readers, and even collaborate on occasional investigations as part of the municipal elections, but without "very bureaucratic frameworks," as Johan Weisz-Myara points out.
Inform… and suggest paths to action
But with this project, StreetPress isn't just seeking to inform. Faced with citizens who are sometimes "paralyzed," as Johan Weisz-Myara describes it, the media wants to offer concrete action. On the project page, organizations like Greenpeace, Terres de Luttes and Victoires Populaires are listed to guide those who wish to get involved. When a user clicks on a municipality, they are offered several options, including: "Do you want to take action?". This option then invites the user to receive an email "to join one of our partners' mobilization campaigns". The page also allows you to subscribe to a local press review or share information with StreetPress via a dedicated page, giving the project a collaborative investigation dimension.
For the media founder, the challenge is to be
Financing and transparency
So, who's footing the bill for the announced €300,000? The site indicates that the project is "funded in part through StreetPress funds, then by several foundations supporting us and finally thanks to donations from readers and citizens" to cover the costs of map development, the work of researcher-teacher Alessio Motta, field trips, etc. Who are these "partner foundations"? StreetPress isn't disclosing the names for now: "Some don't want to be named and we don't necessarily have confirmation from those who do. For now, we can't communicate about it. I hope to be able to soon," says Johan Weisz-Myara.
While access to the map is free, it requires registration via email and agreement to receive news from StreetPress and its partners, under the promise of
Measuring success and preparing for 2027
The ambition is clear: to extend the experience if it proves successful.
But positioning itself as a "catalyst" for civil society in the face of the far-right threat is far from trivial and proves all the more demanding for an independent media outlet with limited financial and human resources. Should StreetPress take on this role? For the editorial team, this work of bringing people together and providing concrete tools is self-evident, fully and logically aligned with its journalistic mission and the promise made to its readers. "Everything that a media outlet like StreetPress fights for—inclusion or social justice—could be called into question if the far right comes to power," warns Johan Weisz-Myara.
