Long Take

No. 104 — Sequence
Shot It is April 17, 2025, and you are reading the newsletter from Médianes.

A big hello,

I’m writing these few words from the train back from Marseille, where I had the pleasure of meeting the Marsactu team to discuss their ten years of independence since the media outlet was taken over by its employees. In this newsletter, you’ll find a case study and an interview about this anniversary, which I hope will give you some ideas.

The Marsactu team took the opportunity to give me a tour of their offices… and of course, I filmed the whole thing for you. Check out their Instagram account next week toMédianes find out what their walls would say if they could talk. Would you like to give me a tour of your place and let me in on a few secrets (which won’t be kept very well)? I’m heading to the Grand Est region for two weeks before heading back to Paris. Let me know!

Without further ado, let’s get back to this issue. On the agenda: an article by our dear Owen Huchon on Canadian media strategies regarding Meta, a new website for *La Déferlante*, in-depth articles that are making a comeback, and design tools.

Enjoy the read,

— MARINE SLAVITCH, JOURNALIST AT MÉDIANES

The Strategy

IDEAS FOR YOUR MEDIA

Marsactu will mark its tenth anniversary of independence in 2025. Rather than celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, the Marseille-based media outlet is highlighting its relaunch in 2015, when part of the editorial staff took over the newspaper following its liquidation. The goal: to affirm what defines its identity today—a cooperative model, financial independence, and strong local roots.

Why is this interesting? Marsactu turns its anniversary into a community event. The media outlet is partnering with organizations such as Disclose, La Disparition, and Invendable to offer a series of events throughout the year. And on the audience side, subscribers become ambassadors. This strategy demonstrates that an anniversary can serve as a catalyst for community building, fostering loyalty, and raising funds.

The figure: 44,340 euros. That’s the amount Marsactu raised in 2015 during its crowdfunding campaign to relaunch the newspaper, thanks to 839 contributors. Ten years later, the publication has 5,000 subscribers and aims to reach 6,000 by the end of 2026.

Why not? “We invited our community to stop by the editorial office to pick up posters, flyers, and stickers. We know they’ll spread the word and put them to good use.”

Want to learn more? Click here to read our interview.

From the studio's perspective

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

For nearly a year, we have been working with the team at La Déferlante on a redesign of their website. The goal: to create a platform that reflects the diversity of the media outlet while optimizing the user experience and the site’s performance.

A new homepage, redesigned article pages, the creation of an online glossary and a new search engine… Some of this work is now live! The site has been redesigned to highlight the diversity of La Déferlante’s content, streamline navigation, and make the media platform easier to discover. Learn more about this project.

On Our Radar

OUR MARKET RESEARCH TO SUPPORT YOUR PROJECTS

GPT the Newspaper

BENIAMINO MORANTE / THE MEDIA REVIEW

For a month, the Italian daily Il Foglio published a supplement written entirely by ChatGPT. The result? Amused readers, somewhat nervous colleagues, and pieces that read more like essays than in-depth articles. The debate, however, has certainly resurfaced.

⟶ How is AI really affecting our writing practices? Read our overview.

We're not going to calm down

ALIA DASTAGIR / ELECTRIC LIT

In *To Those Who Have Confused You to Be a Person*, an investigative book on online harassment of women, journalist Alia Dastagir describes how women are pressured to regulate their emotions in order to be heard without being dismissed. This demand for emotional control forces victims to suppress reactions that are, in fact, legitimate, in order to remain “credible.”

⟶ Cyberbullying is one of the main occupational risks for female journalists. Read our interview with Ariane Lavrilleux, Executive Director of the organization Prenons la Une.

Over at medianes.org

IT'S HOMEMADE

Without Meta, Canadian media outlets are rethinking their business models

OWEN HUCHON / MEDIANES.ORG

In 2023, Meta’s decision to block the distribution of journalistic content on Facebook and Instagram put many Canadian media outlets in a tight spot. Among the hardest hit were independent publications—already in a precarious position—which found themselves deprived of a vital portion of their readership. While this crisis revealed the industry’s dependence on GAFAM, it also provided an opportunity for some to assert a new form of digital independence.

In Brief

THAT WAY, YOU'LL KNOW

• Mediapart, Marsactu, Le Nouvel Obs: These media outlets are hiring. Check out their job openings.

• Disclose is launching a platform that finally centralizes environmental assessments of high-impact projects. It is a practical and participatory tool that reflects the media outlet’s mission to serve the public interest.

• What are the consequences of decisions made within a media organization? A short simulation game for executives and founders.

• The Council for Journalistic Ethics and Mediation (CDJM) offers a free, personalized support service for journalists facing ethical issues.

• There’s one thing even cooler than design in the media: listening to our artistic director, Christelle Perrin, talk about design in the media. A real treat.

• How can you receive sensitive information securely? Tutorial and tools.

See you on May 1!

Thank you for your messages, which have helped us enrich this newsletter. We’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome the teams from L’Express, Le Crestois, and Voxe, as well as everyone who has recently joined us.

See you on May 1. Until then, take care of yourselves and your social media.

— THIS NEWSLETTER WAS PREPARED BY MARINE SLAVITCH IN COLLABORATION WITH THE MÉDIANES TEAM.