Cécile Sourd is the chief executive officer of Mediapart, an independent online newspaper specializing in investigation and exclusive revelations. She is the guest in the first episode of the second season of Chemins, the Médianes podcast.
In this first episode of the second season of our podcast *Chemins*, we’re joined by Cécile Sourd, executive director of *Mediapart*, an independent online newspaper specializing in investigative journalism. With 220,000 paying digital subscribers and 139 staff members, the outlet is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year and is reaching a turning point with the departure of Edwy Plenel, a long-standing figure on the editorial staff. How does one manage this transition? How does one seek the support of 200,000 subscribers? How does one maintain the same high standards in management as in journalistic reporting?
Key Points
- Mediapart's staff is composed of 50% editorial staff and 50% employees in the newspaper's sales, marketing, and strategic departments.
- 98% of Mediapart's revenue comes from subscriptions. The newspaper refuses any form of public subsidy, advertising, or commercial support from major platforms.
« More than ever, we believe that independence is the key to our success. But we're constantly competing with media outlets that can offer discounted subscriptions backed by deals with Google. It's a peculiar situation—we find ourselves somewhat isolated. We refuse to use certain workarounds, but at the same time, we don't lose sight of our goal, which is to grow even further in order to bring our information to an ever-larger number of readers. »
- Since 2019, Mediapart’s capital has been controlled by the Fund for a Free Press, which the newspaper itself created. The FPL is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the freedom and diversity of media outlets. It enables the newspaper to both ensure its financial independence and distribute funds to independent media outlets.
« The Free Press Fund is part of Mediapart's philosophy. But it doesn't give us any money and couldn't help us if we needed it. We see it as a way to contribute to the emergence of initiatives that seem more necessary than ever in today's context of media concentration. »
- 2023 marks the beginning of a new era at Mediapart with Edwy Plenel’s departure as editor-in-chief and the handover of the general management role from Marie-Hélène Smiejan to Cécile Sourd. The newspaper had already undergone its first leadership transition in 2018, when François Bonnet—the newspaper’s co-founder, who had served as its editorial director for ten years—handed over the reins to Stéphane Alliès and Carine Fouteau.
“These are moments that are planned well in advance. Before being appointed executive director, I worked alongside Marie-Hélène Smiejan for five years. Edwy Plenel’s departure is also being prepared, given that he embodies the newspaper. That said, we don’t want to erase him; he will continue to be a part of the paper, and we’re sharing our thoughts on this with the entire team. On the other hand, it’s clear that we want to follow up on Edwy Plenel’s well-known, media-savvy persona with a diversity of voices, as Mediapart is a collective project. We want the newspaper’s new faces to represent society as it is.”
- The key to success lies in preparing the transmission and continuation of media.
“Handing over a project that was the brainchild of the co-founders to a new team requires preparation, but it also demands a great deal of trust and humility on the part of the original co-founders.”
- This year, Mediapart is celebrating its 15th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the newspaper is publishing a book that summarizes 15 of its most iconic investigations, embarking on a tour of 15 cities, and promoting the event through a poster campaign and radio spots.
“It’s a rare expense, but one we’re happy to make. There’s a tendency to overlook Mediapart’s work. We’re rarely cited in the mainstream media, and we’re invited to appear on television shows less often. This campaign is a way to reconnect with the public, and the investment was well worth it. As for the tour, our events are open to everyone, and we’re focused on fostering a dialogue with our audience. This helps ensure we don’t remain detached from society as it is. We must always go out and meet people; they are the ones who keep us going, and they are the ones we must listen to.”
- Mediapart regularly publishes investigative reports on toxic management practices in major French companies. How can we hold management to the same high standards as we do in our journalistic coverage?
“Mediapart is a company that must live up to what it writes in its columns. We can’t expose our neighbors’ dirty laundry without cleaning up our own house first. This translates into a very active dialogue among our employees. Our internal practices have evolved significantly, particularly in terms of how we communicate with one another. We’ve improved training for our managers, and our HR department has expanded.”
- Since 2020, Lénaïg Bredoux, formerly a political reporter, has served as editorial manager for gender issues at Mediapart. Her role is to ensure gender parity and inclusivity in the topics covered. She also works closely with the HR department.
« It's an additional step we could take to improve inclusivity and parity at Mediapart. It ensures we address women-men inequalities and acts internally on the distribution of speaking time in meetings between men and women, on how we talk to each other. It's an internal watchdog but we've also invested heavily in training and raising awareness among all team members from their arrival. We direct them to these trainings if we feel they've forgotten some things. We're committed to always being consistent with what we advocate for. »
Since the podcast was recorded, Lénaïg Bredoux has become co-editorial director alongside Valentine Oberti.
- Investigative journalism is at the heart of Mediapart, but it remains a form of content that requires time and effort. This is also a factor that management takes into account.
“We’ve implemented a whole set of tools to help manage work. We want to encourage people to disconnect more often. We have an agreement on working hours, and we’ve implemented self-reporting time-management tools that allow employees to report an extra day worked when they’ve worked too much and take time off in lieu. The HR department monitors this very closely and sends out many individual reminders about taking time off. We’ve established a policy on the right to disconnect and on remote work. Work-life balance is essential to doing a good job.”
"Chemins" is a podcast produced by Médianes. Season 2 is hosted by Marine Slavitch and directed by Morgan Prudhomme. The sound design is by Nicolas Peiron, and the visual design is by Christelle Perrin.
