💡
This article was originally published in Medians' 10 Links newsletter, sent every other Monday at 2pm. Sign up here!
- FINANCE (Medians) — As Le Monde ramps up its fundraising, a question circulates through independent media: is it legitimate for such a powerful group to use a financing mechanism that smaller, more fragile outlets depend on to survive? We put the question to Louis Dreyfus, chairman of the executive board.
- PRODUCT (Le Ticket) — Another strategic challenge for Le Monde: moving from the age of search engines to that of AI. Agreements with tech firms, priority on customer retention, internal CMS… A multifaceted strategy, which nevertheless highlights the disparity in resources in the sector and raises questions about the ability of newsrooms with more limited resources to face the same upheavals.
- MODEL (The Audiencers) — Mill Media is the story of a newsletter launched on Substack to cover Manchester, which became a local media network employing over 20 people across six cities. Its formula: rigorous journalism, a model largely funded by readers, and a move from Substack to Ghost to take control of its model.
💡
ANNOUNCEMENT — Editorial independence also means having the right technology. With Socle, Médianes offers an alternative to newsletter platforms: keep control of your tools, subscribers, and business model. An offering built on open-source tools, with no commission or lock-in. Learn more about Socle on February 5th at a webinar.
- BEHIND THE SCENES (It's Nice That) — In the age of generative AI, sharing your behind-the-scenes process has become an almost political gesture. In the public's eyes, the creation process now matters as much as the final result. Artists, companies, and media are therefore redoubling their efforts to reassert the value of human work and dispel any doubt. Here's how.
- PRINT (Medians) — Print is emerging as an answer to digital saturation and is sparking renewed interest from media outlets. But between ISBNs, ISSNs, VAT, legal deposits and status options, the process can quickly become administratively tedious. To avoid missteps, we've prepared a practical guide to walk you through each step and identify the right tools.
- INVESTIGATION (Mediapart) — Olivier Legrain, long described as a patron of independent media, is the subject of a sexual assault complaint filed in January. The investigation also uncovers multiple testimonies describing an asymmetrical power dynamic as well as the brutal excesses of an ecosystem that aspires to be emancipatory but is dependent on figures capable of weakening it from within.
- LAUNCH (The Guardian) — Amid masculinist rhetoric, "anti-woke" sentiment, and persistent economic crisis, video games and their specialist press are undergoing intense ideological and financial tensions. This is what convinced journalist Maddy Miers to launch Mothership : a media outlet devoted to queer and feminist voices, run by a cooperative newsroom owned by its employees.
- AI (DW Innovation) — Programming with AI without really knowing how to code: that's the principle of vibe coding. While this approach has limitations in terms of reliability, security, and technological dependency, some newsrooms are exploring it to rapidly prototype tools or automate tasks.
- POOLING RESOURCES (OpenNews) — "The open source culture that defined an era of online journalism has collapsed". News organizations are sharing their code and data less and less, to the detriment of cooperation, innovation, and digital independence. Challenges that are more necessary than ever, so why not get back to it?
- TOOL (vhs.texs.org) — Cassettes, DVDs, vinyl records: these formats are making a comeback as alternatives to major digital platforms and constant dematerialization. Want to give it a try but too attached to your online podcasts and playlists? This site lets you create covers to print in just a few clicks using a simple link.
