In March 2024, we launched our third newsletter: The 10 Links. This was added to our newsletter offerings, which consisted of our Strategy and Behind the Scenes editions, with one goal: to provide you with a selection of analyses, perspectives and tools to decode the media ecosystem, identify best practices and anticipate upcoming challenges in the sector.
The 10 Links embody today the ambition that will guide the evolution of our editorial offering: to enlighten founders and leaders in their strategic decisions and provide, to all those convinced of the importance of a free and independent press, avenues for reflection in light of major challenges.
After a year, more than twenty editions, and hundreds of shared links, we wanted to take the time to tell you the behind-the-scenes story of this format by answering the most frequently asked questions. How do we choose our links? Are we paid to include certain topics? Why do we talk so much about AI? Why put articles behind paywalls? We explain our editorial choices, our methods, and our beliefs so we can continue building this format with you!
« Why did you launch the 10 links? »
A little over a year ago, we noticed it was becoming harder for us to find quality content. Traditional social networks were no longer the preferred platforms for quality exchanges, leading to fragmentation across various—often private—spaces where key debates and relevant perspectives were becoming diluted in our algorithms. This context reinforced the need for content curators to do the work of sorting and prospecting; a role we took on with Les 10 liens to give you access to the monitoring we were already sharing internally. This biweekly format also allows us to bring a critical perspective to current events so we can express our own convictions and feelings about how the sector is evolving.
To deliver effective, quality monitoring away from social media, the newsletter has become the ideal format to offer you a regular meeting place free from algorithm volatility.
« How do you choose the links that appear in the newsletter? »
We want to provide media leaders and founders with the material necessary to think about the future of their media, to identify major challenges and innovate to address them. How can one position their media against dominant social networks? What editorial innovations should be adopted to serve readers? What management methods can sustain a virtuous newsroom? This cross-disciplinary perspective, ranging from major American media to fanzines and including content creators on the Internet, is at the heart of our approach to foster innovation in the press.
We also defend a free and independent press, deliberately excluding far-right media from our selection.
« Why are there so many links in English? »
It has happened that certain editions contain more links in English than in French, particularly when current events warranted it or when particularly relevant analyses were available only in English. This presence of English-language content also reflects a reality: certain trends emerge first in those countries, and more specifically in the United States, before reaching our side of the Atlantic.
Good news, however: some of the media outlets we cite offer their content in multiple languages, as is the case for example with Rest of World or GIJN. Some newsrooms, like Nieman Lab, publish their articles under Creative Commons license, which also allows us to offer you translations of these pieces directly on our site.
« Why do you talk so much about AI? »
We believe it is important for the press to actively engage with and take ownership of this subject rather than be shaped by it. It is a constantly evolving field whose technical nuances can be complex to grasp, and whose consequences remain difficult to fully identify. However, we remain vigilant about not succumbing to passing trends. Our approach is critical and balanced, highlighting both the risks and constructive uses of these technologies. As you may have noticed, we take care to maintain thematic balance. Each link is accompanied by a label (INDEPENDENCE, PLATFORM, AI, etc.) and we limit to two the number of links on any given domain in each edition.
« There are paywalled links I can't read … »
Sometimes, we manage to sell you a link so well that discovering a paywall can be quite a letdown. But supporting quality journalism also means acknowledging that producing it has a cost. We're committed to highlighting virtuous, sustainable, and independent business models. Media outlets that require a subscription to be read meet these criteria, and it would seem contradictory to us to exclude newsrooms that are working to build economic independence free from advertising, wealthy investors, etc. We nonetheless try to strike a balance, attempting to provide you with an equal mix of free and paid articles.
« Are you paid for the links you share? »
No, and this applies to articles as well as tools that we share. The selection of articles featured in this newsletter also does not take into account work carried out by Médianes' studio, and we have no agreement to promote one media's article over another.
However, we can use ads in other formats. To monetize part of our media activities, we offer in our Stratégie newsletter a clearly identified space that can host job listings or information that newsrooms wish to share with our audience. For more information on this subject, you can consult our editorial and ethics charter.
« Only 10 links? I want more! »
Our current publication frequency – one edition every two weeks – requires us to perform rigorous selection work that guarantees you, with each edition, the best of our monitoring. This pace allows us to maintain consistent editorial standards, sharing only content that has truly impressed us, that aligns with our values and your expectations.
We want to maintain a balance between our formats and other content that make up our offering while taking into account our human and financial resources, so as not to rush into projects that we would have to cancel due to lack of means or time. However, we are working to implement new formats to disseminate our analyses more widely and regularly: new video formats, more translations, events, etc.
« I found a great link, can I share it with you? »
Of course! For upcoming editions, we want to open the 10 links to your contributions so you can share your discoveries, ideas and insights with the rest of the community. You can already send us your proposals. We're also considering offering occasional co-authored pieces with invited contributors to bring fresh perspectives on issues we don't usually cover.
« How do you distribute The 10 Links? »
It's a question that comes up from time to time (really) and one we can clear up once and for all. At Médianes, the Strategy and Backstage newsletters are designed and sent with Brevo, while the media site is built with the Ghost CMS, which we also use to distribute the 10 links. Why? It allows us to publish two versions of the 10 links simultaneously: a newsletter and a web article, with sections reserved specifically for emails (like the editorial). This hybrid approach helps us progressively build a searchable library of all our past editions directly on our site, creating a lasting resource.
« What's next? »
It's being built with you! At the start of the year, we made resource-sharing between media outlets and reclaiming the internet two key pillars of our editorial work that shape The 10 Links for upcoming editions. Beyond being a simple monitoring newsletter, it embodies the framework that defines our ambition for Médianes as it develops and fully aligns with our objective: to offer a transdisciplinary analysis that deliberately ventures beyond the traditional boundaries of journalism. Tomorrow, on Médianes, we intend to give voice to other perspectives to discern the challenges that will shape tomorrow's press and foster media innovation in response to major issues.
If you have ideas, questions, or suggestions for improving this format, please don't hesitate to write to us. Your feedback has been, since the launch of this newsletter, the guarantee of the quality and success of this format, and we intend to continue on this momentum.
