Okay, so yes, the headline is a bit provocative. But since I'm a young journalist myself, I think it's fair game, and you shouldn't hold it against me too much. I wanted to use the summer break to tell you about something I first noticed during my journalism studies, and then through trainings I led or attended, about media economics and media creation.
First and foremost, it's worth noting that in these schools, teaching teams are often very open to the challenges of media creation. Every year, around a dozen of them contact our team to educate students on how a media outlet functions and broaden their understanding of journalism by exploring other fields that keep a media outlet running: design, finance, administration, marketing, management, technology, and more. For us, this happens through overviews of different business models and especially through hands-on practice: choose a media outlet, an editorial product, or imagine one from scratch; define its main target audiences, the strategies to reach them, and the ways to convince them to get involved — financially or otherwise — in the project.
While schools are often convinced of the importance of addressing these issues, it's a different story among students. Many continue to oppose what they consider "real" journalism — investigating, writing, editing — to everything that surrounds it. The rest would be peripheral, almost suspect. As if the nobility of the profession resided solely in writing.
This perception is problematic. First, because it no longer reflects the reality of the profession. Second, because it shapes a generation of young journalists with a narrow and fragmented vision of their own practice. Of course, things often become clearer during the first internships or work-study programs—but why not save time.
"It's not our subject"
How can you claim to practice independent journalism without paying attention to the concrete conditions that make it possible? Knowing how your media is funded, who owns it, how it attracts or retains its readers, what it sells—and to whom—is part of basic professional culture. Just as essential, in our view, as the Munich Charter, Albert Londres, or Watergate. Everything that, in your imagination, embodies the greatness of journalism.
Journalists can no longer be satisfied with producing content (sorry, writing articles that will bring down presidents) without looking under the hood. Understanding what allows a story to exist, to be seen, read, shared, supported—that's being part of the equation.
Want to do great journalism? Be curious about what makes your media tick. Because if journalists don't care about it, others will take over: the platforms (Meta, Google, TikTok, Substack — them again), or short-term audience imperatives.
OK: even if you're interested, at twenty years old, during your first internship, you won't have a say in budgets, platform choices, monetization strategies, and editorial direction. But understanding how all that works is already a first form of independence.
When you start an internship or work-study program, ask questions.
‣ Who reads the media?
‣ How does it make money?
‣ What does it depend on (platforms, partnerships…)?
‣ What relationship does it have with its readers?
‣ Who decides, and how?
You've been assigned a task that doesn't excite you?
Don't shut yourself off: propose alternatives. A different format, a different angle, a more appropriate title, an approach designed for a specific audience.
Starting from what interests your readers is always a good instinct. You don't create a story to please yourself, but to make it useful.
Look elsewhere
‣ By following newsletters interested in media strategies (hello, that's us) ;
‣ By reading behind-the-scenes posts from media outlets (you often learn a lot about internal organization, challenges, possible disagreements and dilemmas, and what really goes on in a newsroom) ;
‣ Broaden your horizons: the only "real" journalism isn't necessarily long-form, written, or investigative. Vary the formats, experiment, explore.
The article doesn't cover everything
The other blind spot, often overlooked in training programs: the product — that is, the overall experience your readers have when they interact with what you produce. Journalism doesn't rest solely on well-written articles. It depends on a delicate balance between content, design, strategy, technology, and user experience.
Topics that scare people, often seen as outside the realm of
That's why we bug you about knowing your audience, what they need, and how to meet those needs. Concretely, the product is what helps you write better, tell better stories, reach people better. And bonus: it aligns perfectly with what you're asking for.
Designers' work plays a key role in shaping a publication's editorial identity, site navigation, and media branding. In this interview, Christelle Perrin, creative director at Médianes, and Thomas Steffen, head of digital design at Le Monde, share their perspective on these issues—whether working in a small team or a large newsroom.
A hierarchical (and outdated) view of media
I also sometimes notice that the way independent or emerging media are viewed often betrays an elitist reflex. Prestige remains associated with historic titles or large groups, while smaller, cooperative, associative or local structures are perceived as less serious… precisely because, in these structures, journalists often adopt a 360° product approach.
To this is added a form of distrust toward their business models. Yet, if a media outlet inspires you, take an interest in what keeps it afloat.
When Gaze sets up a white-label production studio or Vert organizes training programs in companies, some raise an eyebrow. But at the same time, Le Monde publishes affiliate shopping guides and Télérama sells cinema boxes.
In France, free information provided by public services makes the subscription gamble more complex for private media outlets. There are no pure ones on one side and sellouts on the other. There is an economic reality (and we're all doing our best… being funded 100% by your audience, even if your targeting is excellent, doesn't mean it will be easy).
There is no such thing as a "mainstream" media
It's another persistent illusion: that of the "mass media." This idea pushes you to want to write for everyone — while avoiding thinking in terms of target audience, usefulness, or relevance.
But no media outlet speaks to everyone. BFM TV doesn't speak to everyone. Even Le Monde doesn't speak to everyone. And that's okay. Thinking niche, on the contrary, can be an interesting strategy for producing information. This Splice newsletter, for example, focuses on highly specialized publications: The Surfer's Journal, Mountain Gazette, and so on—and it points out that these publications manage to build a viable business model through a clear editorial voice, a targeted readership, and, of course, quality articles.
"What matters about information is thinking about it from the perspective of those who read it, not those who produce it."
If it works, it's because it answers a clear need — and because you know who you're talking to. A magazine about Mölkky, sold for 50 euros per issue to Mölkky enthusiasts (there are some, I'm one of them, and there were 600 doubles teams at the France Open in Nantes last weekend), could work very well. Why? Because it would be the only one offering quality content, designed for this specific audience, unavailable anywhere else. In short, the more targeted it is, the stronger the perceived value, and the more the audience is willing to pay and/or spend time on it.
Information is something to be thought through from the perspective of those who read it, not solely from those who produce it. And generally speaking, telling yourself that you're going to be read by all of France—well, only we get that excited about it. Your readers, though, they don't care about that.
A political necessity
The question is not, then, whether we must "distance ourselves" from journalism to practice it. Rather, it is to recognize that journalism cannot be practiced sustainably without a political understanding of its ecosystem.
Who finances what, who controls what, what choices are made regarding distribution, editorial priorities, governance.
We're not asking you to become a manager, product lead, or marketer part-time. But today, it's essential to understand at least the language — to know what we're talking about when we discuss a business model, product strategy, or target audience. It's a condition for having a say in decisions… and defending your independence.
To go further
- Student or not, are you ready to dive in? Discover our free practical guides to launch your media outlet in 5 steps.
- Design, tech, marketing, editorial… It's not always straightforward to get all disciplines to work together in a media outlet. And yet, an effective strategy is built on a shared vision. In three words? The product approach.
- Form serving substance: in design too, audiences are central. For us, graphic design isn't a surface element, but a strategic lever integrated from the media's conception, giving initial clues about the type of media at hand, its tone, its content, and who it's addressing.
- « A good media outlet is born from audience needs, not journalists' wishes »: hear the experience of Max Leroy, former CNN and New York Times contributor in our Chemins podcast.
