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This article was originally published in Médianes' 10 Links newsletter, sent every other Monday at 2 pm. Sign up here (for free).
- INDEPENDENCE (Medians) — In Hungary, new legislation threatens media outlets receiving foreign funding. This is the case with 444.hu, a member of Sphera, our network of European newsrooms. Read our op-ed and sign the petition to join us in denouncing this authoritarian drift that threatens press freedom across Europe.
- PLATFORM (Medians) — To stay competitive against AI (and reassure investors) Google is transforming its search engine: goodbye to simple link lists, hello to answers generated from search results. A shift in how it's used… and a threat to news sites' traffic.
- EDITORIAL CHARTER (The Media Review) — Climate, migration, gender-based and sexual violence… editorial charters have proliferated in recent years to guide practices in newsrooms. But do these commitments really change how news is covered?
- ARCHIVING (404 Media) — On the internet, everything should be archived, from the most mundane tweet to major investigations, including the most obscure blogs. Not convinced? What appeared for instance to be a simple Star Wars site was actually a secret CIA communication tool. A discovery made possible by the fact that the page had been archived for years.
P.S. Why is archiving a major issue of editorial independence and how do you get started? We explain.
- TOOL (WIRED) — Tech giants' efforts to win over Donald Trump have prompted users to seek non-American alternatives. WIRED published a guide listing several tools, mostly European and more respectful of your privacy, to replace your browsers, email clients, and search engines.
- PLATFORM (Syntax) — "Great makeup," "The recipe looks amazing"… These comments, frequent in comment sections on social media platforms like TikTok, actually accompany videos denouncing genocidal acts in Gaza. Aim: to hide this subject behind trivial remarks to escape algorithmic moderation.
- STRATEGY (Reuters Institute) — Betting on TikTok and Instagram, drawing inspiration from Duolingo to make news more interactive, hiring young journalists to embody stories… News outlets are innovating to attract new generations by offering formats tailored to their habits.
- FORMAT (Vulture) — A subway ticket for the mic, a stranger or a star as guest: that's the formula for SubwayTakes, in which Kareem Rahma invites passengers to share their blunt opinions on the topic of their choice. A huge social media success that bets on authenticity and spontaneity over talk-show decorum.
- DESIGN (eva.town) — What if your website looked like a paper notebook? That's the principle of skeuomorphism, a style that imitates textures and objects from the real world, which is making a comeback in web design. Some people even scan real materials to strengthen the illusion. This guide gives you some tips to get started.
- TOOL (WHOISBN) — You know the Nutri-Score for food products? Now here's the Nutri-Score for publishing. By scanning a book's barcode with this app, you can find out which publisher released it, who owns it, and get a rating from A to F assessing its level of independence.
