Successfully redesign your media website

No. 124 — APRIL 9, 2026

How to Successfully Redesign Your Website

Hello, everyone,

We believe in greater media independence from tools, algorithms, and networks with opaque operations—particularly through websites over which they have control. But the distraction caused by artificial intelligence is very real.

How, then, can we avoid burning ourselves out on overly complex and costly website designs or redesigns? The editorial vision, the relationship with the audience, and open-source tools can offer some solutions. We explore this topic in this issue, drawing on examples from Zetland, Republik, and 404 Media.

We expand on these ideas in our latest publications, which explore the relationship between AI, speed, and accuracy in accessing information, as well as how the independent press can be stifled under authoritarian regimes.

As for the studio, registration is still open for the next session of the “Creating a Media Outlet” training program, designed for those who are launching or structuring their own media outlet.

And as always, you’ll also find a few gems: a publication inspired by old magazines, a paywall removal, a tool to test your color memory, and job listings.

Enjoy the read,

CHRISTELLE PERRIN, DESIGN DIRECTOR AT MÉDIANES

The Strategy

Ideas for Your Media

A website is often the foundation of a digital presence and, in many cases, the cornerstone of business models—even for print media. Yet many projects to create or redesign a website get bogged down due to a lack of resources. Here are three strategies for figuring out how to get started the right way rather than spending astronomical sums.

Build the website based on the editorial plan

When the founders of Republik (Switzerland) launched their online magazine in 2018, they made a radical choice: to develop a custom-built platform entirely centered on their editorial vision—one to three articles per day, no continuous feed, no clickbait, but a chronological feed, a space for dialogue, and—since 2022—a feed dedicated to short-form content. This architecture reflects a core belief: the site’s design must stem from the editorial agreement with the audience.

Listen to your community above all else

In Denmark, Zetland took this approach a step further. This subscription-based media outlet (50,000 paying members, profitable since 2020) designed its platform in collaboration with its readership. Through meetings and surveys, the team discovered that the majority of subscribers preferred to listen to articles rather than read them. The site was completely redesigned with this in mind, and 60% of members now consume Zetland via audio.

Launching a Website with $4,000

Reducing infrastructure to the bare minimum: that was the gamble four American journalists took when they launched 404 Media in the summer of 2023. Each co-founder put $1,000 on the table to cover startup costs. The site runs on Ghost—an open-source CMS that natively integrates subscription management, newsletter distribution, and a paywall, without the need for plugins or custom development. No office, no stock photo library, no technical service provider. Six months after launch, 404 Media was profitable.

Check out the full version of this article and our other resources on the topic by visiting our website.

From the studio's perspective

A GLANCE AT THE NEWS

Offered by the team at Médianes, “Creating a Media Outlet” is a training program designed for those who wish to launch or professionalize their media outlet. The goal is simple: to provide the tools needed to build a viable and coherent project—structurally, editorially, and financially—using an entrepreneurial and responsible approach.

After three sessions and having supported around twenty projects, we’ve updated the training program to better reflect the realities and changes in the media ecosystem. The next session will take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from May 5 to 27. On the agenda: masterclasses, workshops, and meetings with media founders and alumni. We can’t wait to discover the projects and their creators!

→ Interested in the training? Check out all the details on our page and sign up by April 15!

On Our Radar

What We're Reading Right Now

It's far from over for print media

OLIVIA HINGLEY/IT’S NICE THAT

Since 2018, The Fence has made a name for itself in the United Kingdom with a unique voice and an artistic direction that brilliantly subverts the conventions of print media. But its founders remain realistic: without a revolution in distribution, the revival of print will remain a niche market.

Remove the paywall

MAXIME LOISEL/HYPERNEWS

Replacing Subscriptions with Donations? The Salt Lake Tribune has decided to remove its paywall, as part of its transition to a nonprofit media organization in 2019. While it had set a goal of $2.6 million in subscription revenue by 2025, the newspaper now believes it can do better through donations. Here’s how.

Here's how

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Our Latest Posts

It's homemade

AI vs accuracy? A trade-off readers seem ready to accept

KLAUDIA JAŹWIŃSKA / AISVARYA CHANDRASEKAR

It’s a nightmare scenario for journalists: readers are willing to accept less accuracy in exchange for greater simplicity thanks to AI. Speed, no paywall, interactivity: a shift that is forcing the media to rethink access to information. An article by the CJR, translated by Médianes.

Independent European press suffocated by Orbán and his allies

OWEN HUCHON / MIDFIELDERS

In Hungary, Viktor Orbán has established authoritarian control over the media, combining legal, financial, and political pressure. This model is inspiring other authoritarian figures in Europe, against the backdrop of the rise of the far right. Can the press and European institutions prevent this from happening elsewhere? An interview with Pavol Szalai of Reporters Without Borders.

In Brief

THAT WAY, YOU'LL KNOW

1. Disclose, Splann!, The European Correspondent: These media outlets are hiring. Check out their job openings.

2. Médianes will be in Rennes on April 11 and 12 for the Festival des Médias Indés, with several sessions hosted by Marine Doux and Owen Huchon. Will we see you there?

3. Une revue sur la bande-dessinée engagée ? Souhaitez la bienvenue à Courts Bouillons !

4. The final stretch for the Vent Debout campaign, the podcast that covers sports from a different angle—through the lens of environmental and social struggles.

5. In this game that will test your mastery of colors, will you be able to beat our record of 9.93/10?

See you on Monday!

for the next edition

We’ll be back on Monday with the latest edition of our industry watch newsletter, “Les 10 liens,” and on April 23 with our edition of “Coulisses.” Haven’t signed up for all our newsletters yet? Update your preferences so you don’t miss them!

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome the teams from Arte, Alternatives Economiques, and Le Monde, as well as everyone who has recently joined us.

See you on May 7. Until then, take care of yourselves and your social media.

This newsletter was prepared by Christelle Perrin and Owen Huchon, along with the team at Médianes.

Médianes

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