About Médianes

Providing information—freely and accurately—has never been such a challenge, given the economic, political, and technological changes we are facing. Yet a more inclusive and sustainable society needs accessible media that shed light on what we don’t know and empower us to take action. But for that to happen, these media outlets must have the resources to survive.

That is why, in 2020, we launched Médianes, the Media Independence Toolkit—covering editorial, economic, and technological independence. With a media outlet, a studio, and a network, we help media organizations, institutions, and NGOs build viable and ethical models that directly serve their audiences, both in France and across Europe.

Our Missions

Our expertise

At Médianes, we know that media is created at the intersection of different disciplines and languages, and that it isn’t always easy to get them to work together. That’s why, in our consulting services, we draw on a wide range of expertise to approach projects holistically.

Marketing & audience

We help both established and emerging media outlets define and structure their marketing strategies. Our goal: to align their editorial vision with the expectations and habits of their audience.

• Marketing Plans
• Community Engagement
• Positioning
• Offers
• Awareness, Engagement, and Fundraising Campaigns

Design

We assist media outlets with their graphic design, whether for the web or print. At Médianes, we believe that design is an essential element in helping the audience understand an editorial project. 

• Creation, continuity, and redesign of artistic direction and visual identity
• Art Direction and Social Media Templates
• Mockups of printed materials (magazines, books, posters, etc.)
• Website and Newsletter Design and Redesign

Tech & product

We design, redesign, and maintain your digital tools using a systematic approach tailored to your needs, budgets, and media-specific requirements.

• Specifications
• Project Management Support
• Choosing a CMS
• Tech stack
• Automation
• Prototype

Editorial Strategy

We clarify your messaging and strengthen your content formats to help grow your audience.

• Editorial Policy
• Publishing Strategy
• New Product Design
• Format Redesign

Administrative & grants

We handle the administrative and management aspects of your projects.

• Assistance with Obtaining Certification
• Preparation of funding proposals at the local, national, or international level

Management & Project Management

We help your organization evolve without losing sight of your values.

• Change Management
• Transformation of Newsrooms
• Internal Structure
• Project Management
• Recruitment
• Tools and Methods

Our approach

Developing viable editorial, economic, and technical models while maintaining complete independence: at Médianes, this approach is built around three principles, each of which is reflected in our three business areas—media, studio, and network.

Communities at the Heart

We bring together editorial teams looking to build their offerings around their audiences: newsletters, podcasts, videos, web content, print, or events. Through resources, guidance, and connections, we help them grow, engage, and monetize their communities by developing usage-based funding models: donations, subscriptions, memberships, or direct purchases.

Combining expertise for greater consistency

We advocate for a product-oriented approach to media that integrates journalism, design, marketing, and technology. This interdisciplinary approach ensures overall coherence: clear positioning, tailored formats, appropriate tools, and well-targeted audiences. We make a point of highlighting projects that share this vision, and we strive to ensure that every project we support is realistic, feasible, and actionable, in line with the media organization’s resources and priorities.

Teach to Foster Independence

We firmly believe in the necessity of media independence, whether it concerns platforms, funders… or ourselves. Our media outlet shares many practical, open-access resources. Our studio support services include training, knowledge sharing, and documentation. And our network encourages the exchange of best practices, so that everyone can move forward independently, at their own pace.

You can learn more about our editorial and ethical principles in our charter.

Our Values

Feminism, environmentalism, social justice: new voices committed to advocating for a just and sustainable society are making themselves heard. It is essential to listen to them, and enabling them to establish themselves as a lasting presence in the media is a major democratic challenge.

Because many of us no longer see ourselves reflected in current media models—whether in the topics covered or in the strategic, economic, and managerial approaches that have been implemented. It is vital to develop, in parallel, viable and sound models capable of ensuring high-quality journalism that is responsive to its audience.

At Médianes, we make a point of highlighting projects that champion a more inclusive and sustainable society, whether through the values they embody or the business models they promote.

To learn more about our vision and values, please read our manifesto. And if you’d like more information about our editorial and ethical principles, please read our charter.

The Médianes Team

Médianes was launched in Brittany in 2020 by Marine Doux, Baptiste Thevelein, and Christelle Perrin, with a mission to foster the long-term emergence of new voices and new approaches in the media. With complementary skills (marketing, tech, and design), we wanted to put our expertise to work for the media industry to develop viable and ethical business models through a media outlet, a studio, and a network.

Over the years, the team has grown to increase its impact and develop new support programs, publications, and collaborations, both in France and across Europe. In 2024 in particular, the team from the European Sphera network joined us, strengthening our growth in Europe and consolidating Médianes' leadership with the arrival of Francesca Festa.

Today, we’re a team of about 20 people—journalists, designers, developers, editorial and marketing strategists—based in Paris, Toulouse, Lyon, Marseille, Brittany, and Florence, Italy. We are passionate about sharing information, and we champion the ideals of independence and democracy.

Our offices

After opening our first office in Rennes, part of our team now works from our offices in Paris, in the 11th arrondissement. We share these offices with other media outlets, agencies, and networks that are committed to and closely involved with news, and our entire team gathers there twice a year for team seminars.

Part of the team at Médianes, in December 2025 at our offices in Paris.

The Médianes Team

Extended Network

We regularly work with freelancers to supplement our team or bring in specialized skills, depending on the specific needs of the organizations we work with.

We regularly collaborate with Maxime Loisel, a consultant in web best practices (UX) | Julia Borel, project manager and graphic designer | Benoît Michaëly, photographer and videographer | Amélie Coispel, editorial and marketing consultant | Thomas Steffen, art director and designer.

Work at Médianes

We are committed to workplace well-being by offering flexible schedules to promote a better work-life balance and the option of permanent remote work so that employees can live wherever they choose. We organize in-house training and coaching sessions, as well as regular internal briefings. We enjoy working with people who are passionate about journalism, advocating for a more just and sustainable society, and supporting nongovernmental organizations.

Our Management Principles

Trust as a starting point: At [organization name]Médianes, we are united by the principle of subsidiarity: the power to make decisions belongs, by default, to the person taking action. From the moment they join us, each person is entrusted with a specific responsibility, with a mentor to provide support, rather than having to wait for legitimacy that would only come with time.

Humility as a method: we are not “media oracles,” and we own that. No one arrives at Médianes with all the answers: it's by testing that we learn, and that we find what works—both for us and for the media outlets we support.

High standards without micromanagement: trust and rigor feed into one another. We pay close attention to detail without resorting to excessive control: a watchful eye shared by the entire team, rather than one imposed from above.

Well-being is essential to success: we reject the idea that a project worth pursuing justifies the exhaustion of those who carry it out. Taking the right to disconnect seriously, flexible schedules, appropriate leave policies (including menstrual leave), and monthly individual check-ins: these practices are not mere perks; they are essential for an independent media outlet to survive in the long term.

An organization designed for remote work: founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, our team works largely remotely, spread across Paris, Brittany, and several cities in France and Europe. This means documenting everything and prioritizing written communication, so that everyone can find information on their own, and meeting in person twice a year during our team seminars.

We also recommend these principles to the media organizations we work with, particularly regarding management and editorial transformation. To learn more about our management principles, please see our dedicated column.

Join us