? This article was originally published in the "10 Links" newsletterMédianes, which is sent out two Mondays a month at 2:00 p.m. Click here to subscribe!
- COMMUNITY (Médianes) — Arrêt sur images is launching a book club to discuss literature—and more. We spoke with its marketing manager, Sophie Roncetto, to understand the goals of this project, developed in collaboration with videographer Margorito: to attract a younger audience, open up a new avenue of engagement, and revitalize its Discord community… But also to explore the role of content creators in media strategies.
- READING (The Atlantic) — Book clubs are attracting more and more media attention. Yet several studies point to a decline in interest in books, prompting Rose Horowitch to argue for the existence of a “post-literary” world. We aren’t reading any less—quite the contrary—but in a much more fragmented way, split between text messages and social media, to the detriment of our attention span and analytical skills. Should the media adapt, resist, or both?
- BOOKSTORE (Alternatives économiques) — This “post-literary” world, combined with a difficult economic climate, is causing concern among independent bookstores. Small and medium-sized bookstores are facing a market that is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few large corporations. To restore balance, the French Booksellers’ Union is proposing, among other measures, to impose a tax on major players.
- AUDIENCE (Vox) — This summer, the American media outlet Vox set itself an unusual goal: to discover a new species of insect using traps set up in parks. It’s an original way for an online media outlet to engage with the physical world: signs equipped with QR codes explain the project to passersby. Vox is also inviting its readers to suggest a name for the future species.
- EVENTS (Nieman Lab) — Don’t feel like setting up bug traps in your city’s parks to connect with your audience? We get it. While events have become a key way to meet, grow, and retain an audience, the Nieman Lab has compiled a list of projects to inspire your own events: trivia nights, running races, neighborhood parties…
- TECH (The Guardian) — The role of a tech journalist has changed significantly. More than ever, they’re lacing up their boots to head out into the field—whether to investigate data centers meeting the growing needs of AI or to cover lawsuits involving social media giants. In the age of digitization, it is now the very tangible impact of technology that is causing concern—and that the media wants to report on.
- TERRAIN (Synth) — What if the media offered walking tours to their readers? In Marseille, the technocritical collective “Le Nuage était sous nos pieds” organizes such tours to show and explain directly to residents the physical impact of the tech industry on the coastline. This is an idea that could be applied to many topics to make information more concrete and grounded in everyday life.
- DESIGN (It’s Nice That) — In the previous issue, we discussed newsletters that are replacing Tinder as a way to find a soulmate. Now, it’s Tinder that’s borrowing design cues from the media for its visual overhaul, inspired in particular by the dating sections of 1990s magazines. A mix of photos and oil paintings that embodies a design trend now firmly established—even in the press—: authenticity.
- MODEL (GIJN) — Sixteen years ago, Johan Weisz-Myara borrowed €5,000 from his bank, officially to renovate his bathroom. That money was actually used to launch StreetPress, which now reaches up to 6 million people a month and publishes numerous investigative reports on the far right. Here’s a look back at the development of a business model that relies on more than 15,000 donors to fund open-access journalism.
- CREATIVITY (Liminal Bingo) — Looking for a creative project this summer, away from screens? This photo bingo might inspire you. The rule: one photo per square to complete a row or column. Will you find six people sitting in a cemetery, an epitaph on a trash can, or an object created by humans but reclaimed by nature? Your photos could be exhibited in New York this September.
? We’re launching the Club de Médianesto bring together Europe’s independent press. Interested? Before its official launch this fall, we’d like you to share your needs and ideas with us so that, together, we can build a space conducive to collaboration and the development of a free and independent press.
? JOB POSTING — Splann!, Brittany’s leading independent investigative media outlet, is hiring a development and nonprofit coordination specialist.
