Inspire people to give.

No. 114 — SEPTEMBER 18, 2025

Inspire generosity

Hello everyone,

In this issue, we’re talking about donations: this tool that transforms the relationship between a media outlet and its audiences, attracts new, younger supporters, and becomes a pillar of independence. We revisit the examples of StreetPress, Disclose, and Vert, following our presentation at The Audiencers festival (bonus slides included!).

Also on the agenda: an article by Owen Huchon on how to take control of your media monitoring, a look at the launch of the publication *Le Cri*—supported by our studio—and a get-together next Wednesday in Paris for a drink.

Are you the head of an emerging media outlet? This is also a good opportunity to remind you that you have 15 days left to submit your application to the ProgramMédianes.

Enjoy the read,

MARINE DOUX, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF MÉDIANES

The Strategy

Ideas for Your Media

From The Guardian to La Croix, and including StreetPress, Vert, and The Kyiv Independent, more and more media outlets are relying on donations to strengthen their independence and engage their audiences. What if it were worth it?

Why is it interesting?

Giving is experiencing unprecedented momentum today: it is growing rapidly from a financial perspective while attracting younger, new audiences. This is a significant shift considering that in France, the median age of donors is 62 years old. This dual evolution – growth and rejuvenation – makes giving a key lever for media independence, in France as in Europe.

The good idea

The most effective fundraising campaigns rest on three pillars. They embody faces and stories — like StreetPress, which now draws 36% of its revenue from donations (+77% in 2024). They demonstrate the concrete impact of each contribution — as with Disclose where donations represent nearly 60% of revenue (+11.3% in 2024). Finally, they activate the community, like Vert, which gathered 11,000 supporters in 2024 and draws 90% of its budget from their contributions.

Our recommendation

Don't view giving as merely a financial transaction—make it an editorial and community-driven act. Offer clear, personal, and engaging pathways. Turn your campaigns into highlights that showcase your causes and build lasting connections with your audiences.

To learn more, check out our report on our experience at The Audiencers festival, based on the work the studioMédianes carried out with StreetPress and Vert.

From the studio's perspective

A GLANCE AT A SUPPORTED PROJECT

€50,000 in two days, €91,000 in sixteen days: these are the initial results of the crowdfunding campaign we conceived and managed to support the launch of Le Cri magazine this fall.

Working alongside co-founders Paul Piccarreta and Théo Moy, we defined the financial goals, refined the messaging, designed a landing page, and coordinated the communication efforts. The campaign is still ongoing, but it has already exceeded expectations, with about ten press mentions in the first week alone (La Lettre, Libération, La Croix…) and an engaged community.

You can learn more about our expertise in financing on our studio's website.

CHRISTELLE PERRIN — Medianes, The Studio

On Our Radar

What We're Reading Right Now

Watch out for the impact!

DISCLOSE AND REWIND

In many ways, impact is the very purpose of the media: to fuel public debate through information and enable informed decision-making. But how can media organizations measure the impact of their publications on society, and how can they report on it? To help you with this, the teams at Disclose and Rembobine have published a guide and invite you to discuss it at their festival!

Protecting Endangered Books

ANNICK COJEAN / LE MONDE

In the United States, works such as *The Diary of Anne Frank* and *1984* are being banned in schools and public libraries. In Florida—the state responsible for 45% of these bans—novelist Lauren Groff launched The Lynx, a bookstore and sanctuary that showcases these banned books. It’s a way to stay away from algorithms.

On medianes.org

It's homemade

Staying Informed

OWEN HUCHON / MIDFIELDERS

Monitoring the news is essential for many of us… but it can sometimes feel disorganized and overly dictated by algorithms. As a result, we lose control over our news feeds and struggle to make the most of our many tabs and screenshots. Here are a few tips and tools to help you regain control—without losing your mind.

In Brief

THAT WAY, YOU'LL KNOW

1. Les Jours, Vertige Media, Marsactu: These media outlets are hiring. Check out their job openings.

2. The online media outlet Reporterre is releasing a comic book dedicated to mountains: 180 pages of investigative reporting, the result of a collaboration with *La Revue Dessinée*.

3. In Lyon, Mediacités is co-organizing a festival on the production of information. It will feature a day (and evening) of discussions, exhibitions, and screenings. Registration is free.

4. On September 30 in Paris, attend the (mock) trial of Vincent Bolloré and the reactionary media empire, organized by the Fund for a Free Press.

5. Azzur, a magazine that explores the “intimate and unusual” side of Europe, has just successfully concluded the presale campaign for its first issue.

See you on October 2!

for the next edition

Thank you for your messages, which have helped us make this newsletter even better. We’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome the teams from The Funambulist, Bayard, and Le Temps, as well as everyone who has recently joined us.

See you on October 2. Until then, take care of yourselves and your social media.

This newsletter was prepared by Marine Doux and Owen Huchon, together with the team at Médianes.

Médianes

We are a nonprofit media organization, a strategy, marketing, and design studio, and a network for independent journalism.