Behind the Scenes: Step by Step, the New School Year Begins

SEPTEMBER 2026 ISSUE

Step by step, the new school year is getting underway

Hello, everyone,

The summer break already seems like a distant memory, but we’ve got just what you need to help you start the new school year off on the right foot! On the agenda: best practices for maintaining your own balance and that of your team, a training session for those who want to create their own editorial product, and opportunities to meet with us.

And for good reason: the Médianes team is just about to hit the road—from Nantes to Budapest via Lisbon and Paris—to discuss digital sovereignty, AI, donations, and the funding of independent media.

Between trips, we’re also taking the time to share with you how we’ve been making progress with Socialter, step by step, for over a year now. And on the media front, we’re taking a look back at our series of case studies on the independent European press.

Enjoy the read,

MARINE DOUX, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF MÉDIANES

On the network side

UPCOMING EVENTS

A busy start to the school year at :Médianes Between conferences, roundtables, and meetings, the team is hitting the road to connect with the media ecosystem. Here’s where you can find us over the next few weeks.

• Local News Festival in Nantes: On September 24, Marine Doux will speak on the topic “Digital Sovereignty in the Media: Is It Possible?”
• Inferência, in Lisbon: On September 26, Owen Huchon will speak to share our vision on AI and analyze its impact on journalism.
• The Audiencers Festival in Paris: On September 29, Baptiste Thevelein and Marine Doux will speak on the topic “Donations: New Sources of Revenue, New Challenges, New Solutions.”
• Capital Stacks of Journalism, in Budapest: On September 29, Francesca Festa represents Médianes at the launch of this study on the funding of independent European media.
• Design for Media, in Nantes: On October 1, Christelle Perrin will speak about the role of brand design in the media, covering visual identity, editorial strategy, and business models.

If you're at one of these events, come say hello!

From the media's perspective

OUR CASE STUDIES

The Independent European Press, in Practice

Spoiler: The best practices may be found among our European neighbors. Each month, our series of case studies explores the practices of the independent European press, with examples and tips for taking action. A series by Sphera, our European media network.

Three installments have already been published, in French and English: how to turn your readers into a community of donors, how to regain control of your digital tools, and how to incorporate video into your editorial offerings. The next installment, dedicated to live journalism, will be released in a few days, and three more will follow by the end of the year.

→ Find all these case studies on our website.

To go further

• The case studies are also available in English on the Sphera website.

Our approach

STUDIO NEWS

Socialter and Médianes, one chapter at a time

With certain media outlets, we’ve been working together over the long term. Socialter, an independent bimonthly print magazine that examines contemporary ecological, social, and political transformations, is a great example of this.

In late 2025, the team reached out to us to launch a crowdfunding campaign page to coincide with the release of the special issue “Resisting New Forms of Fascism.” The campaign exceeded expectations: more than 5,000 pre-orders in about 40 days and over 1,000 additional subscriptions. Since then, the team has been reusing the page for its new campaigns. Together, we’ve moved on to a second project: a comprehensive strategic audit to lay the groundwork for Socialter’s editorial and organizational evolution.

And the story continues: Socialter is now embarking on a redesign of its website, with us by its side. It’s an exciting step that we’ll be sharing with you very soon.

→ To learn more about this project, visit our website and explore our studio's areas of expertise.

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THAT WAY, YOU'LL KNOW

→ The Médianes team builds loyalty

Sixtine Yung, Project Manager for Support and Training; Margot Darcy, Project Coordinator; and Nicolas Troadec, Web Developer, have solidified their places on the team by all three transitioning to permanent contracts. We’re thrilled to continue working with this trio!

→ Best Practices for the Start of the School Year

Rest is not a luxury, but an essential requirement for a team’s healthy development: that’s the topic of Marine Doux’s latest column. It also depends on effective project management.

→ Ongoing projects and new ones getting underway

The studio team continues to work with Vert, Reporters Without Borders, Les 3 Ours, and Entretien avec un dentiste, and is embarking on new projects with La Maison écologique, Le Temps des Robustes, the designer Marinette, and Le Courrier.

→ You can learn how to create and grow a media outlet

As Sixtine Yung points out in her latest column: no one knows how to do everything right from the start. That’s exactly what our “Creating a Media Outlet” training course is all about—it will take place from October 13 to November 3. Registration is still open.

→ The magazine *Pays* is ending—long live *Pays*!

Six years ago, Médianes co-founded a magazine to offer a different kind of local journalism. It is ceasing publication this fall, and to help us bring this print adventure to a close, you can complete your collection at half price.

Médianes

We are a media outlet, a studio, and a network dedicated to independent journalism.