Destination: Greece!

No. 111 — JULY 24, 2025

Destination: Greece

Hello everyone,

All summer long, we’re exploring how independent European media outlets are coming up with new ways to report the news. Today, we’re stopping in Greece with Popaganda, Solomon, and The Manifold.

In this issue, you’ll also find an article by Owen Huchon on how AI is transforming the flow of information, tips for avoiding micromanagement, the launch of a local investigative media outlet, a tour of newsstands across Europe…and a tool to give your eyes a rest.

And because newsletters remain a key tool for staying connected with our readers, we’ll also share our expertise in this area—strategy, editorial content, design, and distribution.

Have a great summer, and enjoy the read,

MARINE SLAVITCH, JOURNALIST AT MÉDIANES

The Strategy

Ideas for Your Media

A media outlet that bridges culture and current events, collaborations in all forms, in-depth investigations… Today we’re highlighting three editorial strategies from independent media outlets in Greece—worth exploring and drawing inspiration from.

Popaganda, adopting the cultural lens

Founded in Athens in 2013, the online media outlet Popaganda treats culture as a social issue and uses it as a lens through which to explore the world. Music, film, and literature serve as gateways to current events: politics, international issues, urban life, social struggles, and personal stories. By drawing on cultural sensibilities, Popaganda reaches a young, politically engaged generation that is largely unreceptive to traditional formats. The result: journalism that is authentic, emotional, and rooted in the customs and language of its time. Bonus: the outlet is a member of our European network, Sphera.

Solomon, pooling resources for sustainability

Solomon is an independent media outlet that investigates migration, social justice, and human rights in Greece and beyond. Its model is based on collaboration at all levels: networked investigations with other European newsrooms, and resource sharing through the Solomon Media Lab, a space for training, support, and mentorship for independent journalists. The goal is to create collective and sustainable working conditions.

The Manifold, betting on editorial design

The Manifold reimagines the online investigative reporting format with its “Files”: narrative microsites, each dedicated to a single topic, explored in depth over the long term. Police violence, child protection… each investigation becomes a standalone entity, to be opened like a drawer. The island-style architecture, designed to run counter to the usual flow, promotes readability, context, and a slow pace of content consumption. A fine example of editorial design for those who produce sparingly but want their work to stand the test of time.

Click here to read about our previous indie road trip through Italy, Spain, and Germany.

From the studio's perspective

Newsletters: Discover Our Expertise

Since 2020, our studio has been helping both emerging and established media outlets design, structure, and distribute newsletters that align with their editorial vision.

Our belief: Whether used to inform, engage, make recommendations, or inspire, a newsletter can be much more than just an acquisition channel—it can be a true editorial product that supports your strategy.

With a tailored, strategic, and operational approach, we support you at every stage of your newsletter’s development: strategy, editorial planning, design and structure, distribution and subscriber acquisition, and results analysis… Discover what we offer and let’s talk!

Christelle Perrin — Médianes, the Studio

On Our Radar

What We're Reading Right Now

A Loser's Revenge

SOPHIE MONAGHAN-COOMBS / MONOCLE

To remain appealing, newsstands must reinvent themselves. Some specialize, while others also serve coffee. “These places are at the crossroads of segments of society that sometimes elude us. They play the same role as a park bench,” Monocle points out in this tour of newsstands across Europe. We would have liked to add Basta, in Bordeaux, which places a special emphasis on independent magazines.

⟶ What if news took its rightful place back on the streets? With its newsletter distributed by street vendors, Le Bruit qui court has devised a joyful, hands-on, and deeply local strategy for spreading ideas.

Manager by Accident

KATIE CADWELL / IT’S NICE THAT

In many organizations, being a manager goes hand in hand with a promotion. But leading a team isn’t everyone’s dream—and doing it by default is rarely a good idea.The key? Communicate your aspirations and explore other possibilities: sharing the role of department head, or promoting mentoring through training and workshops rather than pure management.

⟶ And specifically in the media? Here we offer a guide, complete with concrete examples, on how to take care of your human resources.

On medianes.org

It's homemade

Can the media escape the clutches of AI and algorithms?

OWEN HUCHON / MIDFIELDERS

Artificial intelligence filters notifications, summarizes WhatsApp messages, and sorts newsletters. It’s creeping into everything—including the channels the media thought they controlled. For newsrooms seeking independence, it’s back to square one: how can they maintain a direct connection with their audience when even the alternatives are falling under algorithmic control?

In Brief

THAT WAY, YOU'LL KNOW

1. Urbania, Prison Insider, Forbidden Stories : ces structures recrutent. Découvrez leurs offres.

2. Freelancers are tired of being treated like the fifth wheel. Media professionals, find all the advice from CFDT-Journalistes here on how to better collaborate with freelancers.

3. This tool lets you pause your screen regularly to give your eyes a rest. Tested and approved by our team.

4. It’s such a source of pride to witness the launch of a media outlet that went through our training program! We highly recommend following Facto, a new local investigative media outlet in the Limousin region.

5. Our favorite: We’ll be spending the summer with *Grillé*, an indie and socially conscious crossword puzzle magazine.

See you on August 21!

for the next edition

Thank you for your messages, which have helped us enrich this newsletter. We’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome the teams at Fine Fleur Magazine, Les Autres Possibles, and Micro Canap, as well as everyone who has recently joined us.

As for us, we’re taking a little break to enjoy the summer and come back refreshed, with lots of new ideas. So we’ll see you on August 21 for the next issue of this newsletter. Have a great summer, and until then, take care of yourselves and your media.

This newsletter was prepared by Marine Slavitch, in collaboration with the team at Médianes.

Médianes

We are a nonprofit media organization and a strategy, marketing, and design studio dedicated to independent journalism.