The Programme Médianes
The Programme Médianes is a collective support program developed by Médianes between 2024 and 2026, dedicated to founders of emerging, independent, and committed media outlets. It has brought together four consecutive cohorts.
Through masterclasses, shared experiences, workshops, and one-on-one mentoring, ten selected founders received nine months of support from the Médianes team and a network of media experts, to strengthen their projects and scale up.
Temporality
9 months
Who is it for?
Leaders of independent and socially conscious media organizations based in France
With whom?
10 independent media outlets
Price
150 € / month
Location
Via video conference and in person in Paris
Why this program?
Against a backdrop of heightened political tensions, it is essential that established independent media outlets continue to play their role in society. These outlets are pillars of democracy: they guarantee pluralism and defend quality information. The goal of the Programme Médianes: to equip these media outlets so they can grow and strengthen themselves in a sustainable and responsible way.
Content
Who is it for?
The Programme Médianes was aimed at leaders of independent and socially conscious media outlets who had launched their projects between one and eight years earlier and were looking to scale up. It was designed for people already active in the field, with the option for several members of the same team to take part.
The program is designed to be accessible to people with editorial and creative backgrounds—particularly journalists—who are eager to develop their skills in administration, entrepreneurship, marketing, or management to grow their media outlets. It is, of course, open to leaders from other professional backgrounds as well.
- From an editorial standpoint, it has reached out to independent media outlets—whether general-interest or specialized, local or national—that are committed to providing high-quality news and making a positive impact on society.
- From an economic standpoint, it has focused on revenue models aimed at developing or implementing audience-centered revenue models (donations, subscriptions, memberships).
- From a management perspective, we prioritized projects that seek to foster a healthy and ethical management culture within their media organizations (compliance with labor laws, well-being, transparency, mental health, teamwork, etc.).
The program's objective
- Improve the management of your media outlet by strengthening three key areas: administrative, financial, and managerial.
- Build, develop, and diversify revenue streams to ensure the long-term financial viability of the media outlet.
- Turn an audience into an engaged community by structuring community engagement and word-of-mouth.
- Master social media and digital platforms to optimize your communication and brand image.
Who participated in the program?Médianes
Over the course of its four editions, the training sessions were led by the Médianes team, a team with diverse skills (editorial, marketing, design, tech, organization), and by a network of media experts from Médianes' network, including: Augustin Naepels (Les Jours), Marion Wyss (The Audiencers, Poool), Max Boire and Alexis Nekrassov (Spiil), Benoît Huet and Eva Lee (Avrillon Huet), Clémentine Forissier and Jean-Christophe Boulanger (Contexte), Alix de Crécy (Mediavivant), Willy Clauzel (UXO), Clémence Choffé (digital acquisition consultant), Perrine Daubas (Kometa, Reporters Without Borders), Rémi Labed (Disclose), Juliette Quef and Loup Espargilière (Vert), Fabiola Dor (Test&Work), Robin Emptaz (media consultant), Quentin Ariès (Sphera), Siham Jibril (Off Campus), Maxime Loisel (Hypernews), Clarence Edgar-Rosa (Gaze), Simon Gleize (SEO strategy), and Giulio Zucchini (Advens for People and Planet).
The selection of projects for each cohort was entrusted to a multidisciplinary jury of industry professionals, which included: Baptiste Bouthier (La Revue dessinée), Julien Cadot (Numerama), Vincent Couronne (Les Surligneurs), Renaud Creus (Mediapart), Perrine Daubas (Kometa, Reporters Without Borders), Lucie Geffroy (La Déferlante), Lou Grasser (Le Monde), Sarah Ichou (Le Bondy Blog), Leïla Miñano (Investigate Europe, Disclose), Augustin Naepels (Les Jours), Juliette Quef (Vert), Cécile Sourd (Mediapart), and Johan Weisz-Myara (StreetPress).
Who participated in the program?Médianes
40 media outlets supported
Four cohorts were held between 2024 and 2026, for a total of 40 media outlets supported:
- First Cohort (Spring 2024) — Climax, Grain, Index, La Corneille, La Disparition, Les 3 ours, Revue Epic, Terrestres, Test&Work, Vert. Learn more about the first cohort.
- Second Cohort (Fall 2024) — Demos, Flaash, Gaze, Grand Format, L’Informé, mūsae, Revue K, Vivant le média, Vinofutur, What’s up EU. Learn more about the second cohort.
- Third Cohort (Spring 2025) — Arrêt sur images, Disclose, La lettre de Cancan, Les Surligneurs, MOB, Pioche!, Prison Insider, Quoi de mum, Soif la revue, Vertige Media. Learn more about the third cohort.
- Fourth Cohort (Fall 2025) — A fond!, En un battement d’aile, Fracas, Greenletter Club, L’Arlésienne, Le Cri, Le Poulpe, Spark, The Funambulist, Vent Debout. Learn more about the 4th cohort.
Long-term support
The program was carried out over approximately nine months, in two phases
A group-based thematic program, featuring masterclasses, feedback sessions, group discussions, hands-on workshops, and meetings with experts and key players in the media ecosystem, structured around four modules:
- Learning to manage your media outlet effectively: improving media management by strengthening three key aspects of internal management (administrative, financial, and managerial) in order to optimize, stabilize, and strengthen the media outlet.
- Strengthen its business model: build, develop, and diversify its revenue streams, while effectively managing the media outlet’s finances to ensure its long-term viability. This included understanding which government subsidies for the press were appropriate for its structure and identifying potential revenue sources.
- Develop an audience-centric marketing strategy: learn how to turn an audience into an engaged community by developing strategies for acquisition, conversion, and retention. Understand how to foster word-of-mouth through community engagement, optimizing communication channels, and using tools such as email marketing, press relations, and media kits.
- Optimize Your Communication Strategy: Improve your understanding and mastery of social media and digital platforms by optimizing your communication strategy and developing your brand image to maximize the use of these tools.
Following the group sessions, each project received six months of individual mentoring to support the implementation of the tools and strategies developed earlier, tailored as closely as possible to its specific needs.
An evaluation was then conducted approximately one year after the program began, in the form of an individual meeting with the mentor, to review the progress of the project being supported.
Beyond this support, the program has enabled participants to join a community and benefit from the insights of other founders—a dynamic designed to last beyond the program itself. With this in mind, alumni of the Programme Médianes can now join the Club Médianes to help keep this community alive over the long term.
Key Takeaways
Out of more than 150 applications across four cohorts, 40 media organizations received support and completed the program. This represents a 100% success rate, driven by the commitment of participants and instructors (satisfaction ratings of 8.6/10 and 9/10).
The media outlets involved covered a wide variety of formats: approximately 35% were print media, 85% were digital media (websites and newsletters), and 20% were audiovisual formats or podcasts, with many media outlets combining several formats at once.
Médianes?
Providing information isn't enough. We also need the resources to produce, fund, and disseminate that information in order to have a real impact. Médianes is the toolkit for media independence: editorial, economic, and technological.
With a media outlet, a studio, and a journalism network, we help media organizations, institutions, and NGOs build sustainable and ethical models that directly serve the public, both in France and across Europe.
Feedback from Trainees
"Great job, and thanks for being there! Friends are essential!"
Matthieu Amaré, Vertige Media
“Honestly, it was great! Both in terms of what we learned and the informal discussions and opportunities for partnership. It feels good to take the time to reflect together, among peers. It’s rare and valuable, and it makes perfect sense to do it with Médianes”
Eliott Clark, MOB
“Several elements were truly helpful and found practical application in our work. In particular, the program helped us better understand the importance of defining a clear target audience. This allowed us to better focus our decisions and priorities. These lessons directly influenced the launch of a fundraising campaign in late 2025, which was the largest we’ve ever conducted.”
Nathalia Keller Rorato, Prison Insider
"Great atmosphere and a high-quality group. Excellent facilitators and a great approach. The follow-up mentoring was fantastic, and I developed a meaningful relationship with Médianes."
Elie Petit, K Magazine
Any questions?
Contact the Médianes team by email at [email protected] to learn more about this training program.
Would you like to train your team? We also offer custom in-house training. Contact us for a personalized quote.
Frequently asked questions
How was the program funded?
The Programme Médianes was made possible through joint funding from the Ministry of Culture (50%), the Médianes studio (40%), and the beneficiaries (10%).
Is there a future edition planned?
Nothing has been decided yet. We are currently thinking about how to keep welcoming new cohorts, and how to further develop our training offering for the Programme Médianes.
Need to contact us?
Email us at [email protected]. The program may return in a future edition—we'll keep you posted 👀