Municipal Elections: Should We Campaign?

No. 122 — FEBRUARY 12, 2026

Municipal Elections: The Media on the Campaign Trail

Hello, everyone,

As the municipal elections approach, local newsrooms have a key role to play. Interest in local issues is growing, and expectations for democracy are high. But how can they enhance their value… without placing too much of a burden on their staff?

This issue explores how news organizations such as Mediacités, Marsactu, Splann!, and StreetPress transform the complexity of the election into useful and accessible content for their audiences. These approaches demonstrate that innovation does not necessarily mean producing more content, but rather focusing on usefulness and editorial consistency.

In the same vein, our team is growing. We are hiring a Marketing and Editorial Impact Manager to serve as a bridge between editorial and distribution, working with journalists and marketing teams in France and across Europe to strengthen the impact of committed independent media outlets.

In this issue, you’ll also find a behind-the-scenes look at the redesign of the K. magazine website, a practical guide to launching your own magazine without getting bogged down in administrative tasks, and resources for making better use of web archives or engaging young audiences.

Enjoy the read,

MARINE DOUX, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF MÉDIANES

The Strategy

Ideas for Your Media

As the election approaches, and with interest in local issues at an all-time high, the media can reaffirm the impact and practical value of their work in their audience’s daily lives. The question is how to do it (well).

Making information accessible and actionable

Ever-changing rules, vague jurisdictions, little-known candidates: local elections can seem complex. Some newsrooms rely on educational formats to guide their readers: interactive pages (Mediacités), “tutorials” (Marsactu),… But is that really their role? Long overlooked, making complex topics accessible is an integral part of journalism and transforms information into concrete action for the public.

Innovate without overcomplicating things

Innovation isn’t just about producing more content. Highlighting existing investigations, creating themed reading lists, or clearly identifying election-related articles—as Splann! does in Brittany with a dedicated badge—helps maximize editorial impact while remaining realistic about available resources. The key is to enhance the practical value of the information for the community.

Fulfilling One's Role and Maintaining Consistency

Beyond educational content, some news organizations choose to clearly state their positions on fundamental issues. StreetPress, for example, tracks the risk of a shift toward the far right and helps citizens document and understand these dynamics. This transparency builds trust and credibility, while affirming the newsrooms’ local roots and expertise within their communities.

To learn how local newsrooms can reaffirm their democratic value during elections through concrete examples and best practices, visit our website.

From the studio's perspective

A GLANCE AT A SUPPORTED PROJECT

K. is an online magazine that documents and analyzes the lives of Jewish communities in Europe through feature stories, essays, and literary works in several languages.

This winter, we oversaw the complete redesign of the K. magazine website: defining the scope of work, designing mockups, providing artistic direction, coordinating development, and launching the site—with a particular focus on readability, information hierarchy, and engagement tools.

The result: a multilingual platform that celebrates the diversity of its authors, highlights K.’s editorial richness, and strengthens its connection with its community.

Take a look behind the scenes of this project and discover how it Médianescombines design, usability, and the showcasing of editorial content in your web projects.

CHRISTELLE PERRIN — MÉDIANES, THE STUDIO

On Our Radar

What We're Reading Right Now

Using Web Archives for Investigations

INTERNET ARCHIVE & KINGS COLLEGE

The Internet Archive has archived more than a billion billion pages. That’s right. A veritable goldmine… if you know how to tap into it. Discover nine ways newsrooms are using it for investigative reporting: finding deleted content, comparing edited versions, uncovering hidden links between web pages, and much more.

Everything cool, guys?

FT STRATEGIES & KNIGHT LAB

Contrary to common stereotypes, younger generations are staying informed and taking action… but in a fragmented and saturated digital space, where capturing their attention is a real challenge. Here are a few ways to adapt: rethink the format, medium, and distribution of information, and find concrete ways to turn reading into genuine engagement.

Our Latest Posts

It's homemade

Launch Your Magazine the Easy Way

DORINE PLANTÉ

Want to launch your own magazine but feeling discouraged by a barrage of confusing acronyms and tedious administrative procedures? Our latest how-to guide breaks down ISBN, ISSN, VAT, legal deposit, and choosing a legal structure to explain each step of the process and help you identify the right tools.

In Brief

THAT WAY, YOU'LL KNOW

1. Mosaïque, Contexte, L’Informé: These media outlets are hiring. Check out their job openings.

2. Jeff Bezos is undermining the Washington Post: a reminder that billionaires won't save the press.

3. If you haven't seen it yet, read our press release regarding the Mediapart investigation into Olivier Legrain.

4. After deciding to stay on last year, *Arrêt sur images* is leaving X. The editorial team explains why it has made this decision now.

5. Les Jours is launching a crowdfunding campaign for a book featuring their investigations published over the past ten years.

See you on Monday!

for the next edition

We’ll be back on Monday with the latest issue of our industry watch newsletter, *Les 10 Liens*, and on February 26 with our issue of *Coulisses*. The Stratégie newsletter is also making its return with a new monthly schedule: its next issue will be on March 12. Not yet subscribed to all our publications? Update your preferences so you don’t miss them!

We’d like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone who has recently joined us, including the teams from Un bout des médias, Le Monde, and Radio France.

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