The Return of Paper

No. 113 — SEPTEMBER 4, 2025

Start a paper project

Hello everyone,

We’ve often heard that print is dead. Yet it’s making a comeback where we least expected it: online news outlets are launching print editions, and new projects are springing up directly in print. In an era of information overload, this resurgence reflects our need for more lasting connections with our audiences.

This connection is sometimes made through a simple, tangible object that you can hold in your hands. That’s the theme of this issue of the newsletter: understanding why paper is making a comeback, discovering inspiring examples, and finding tips for trying out this format without any hassle.

Also in the newsMédianes: applications are now open for the fourth (and final) edition of our ProgramMédianes, and there are two opportunities to meet in person to discuss it—on September 24 in Paris and September 25 in Nantes. We can’t wait to talk with you!

Enjoy the read,

MARINE DOUX, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF MÉDIANES

The Strategy

Ideas for Your Media

Are you looking to diversify your revenue streams and audiences? Launching a print publication may seem counterintuitive after years of predictions about “the death of the newspaper in the face of the internet.” Yet this format is making a surprising comeback: more and more newsrooms are using it to reinvent their relationship with their audiences and regain control over their distribution.

Why is it interesting?

In the face of growing fatigue with a web saturated by major platforms, print offers a refreshing alternative free from algorithms. As a result, some online newsrooms are now launching their own print publications, while new media outlets are choosing to launch exclusively in print. The good news? You don’t need to create a 100-page magazine, come up with new content, or commit to a strict publication schedule to get started.

The good idea

The online ideas magazine AOC began publishing a quarterly print magazine this year. The two formats complement each other: the print version presents content from the website in a thematic format, offering a different experience and reaching a new audience—in bookstores, train stations, and newsstands—outside of social media. It’s a way to add value to its content while creating a unique editorial product.

Our recommendation

Start with a pilot issue or a one-off edition. This test allows you to gauge public interest, refine your offering, and determine whether the print venture truly motivates you. With a unique, limited-run format, you can also mark a key moment in your media outlet’s history.

Need some advice before putting your media project on paper? We’re co-facilitating a workshop at the Local News Festival on September 25 in Nantes. Sign up to participate.

From the studio's perspective

Back to School with the Program Médianes

Do you run a media outlet and want to take it to the next level? The Program Médianesis back for its fourth (and final) edition: nine months of support to help you grow and structure your project at an affordable price.

In practical terms: You’ll join a cohort of ten media professionals, supported by our teams as you tackle your key challenges—marketing, operations, management, monetization, and design. You won’t be on your own anymore: You’ll move forward alongside peers, experts, and a supportive environment that pushes you to go further.

To join the new class, you have until September 30 to submit your application.

CHRISTELLE PERRIN — Medianes, The Studio

On Our Radar

What We're Reading Right Now

We Take a Closer Look at The Onion

ALEXENDRA BRUELL / WALL STREET JOURNAL

Twelve years after its digital shift, the American satirical media outlet The Onion is making a sensational comeback in print: nearly 54,000 subscribers in one year, across more than 50 countries, and $6 million in projected revenue for 2025. Editor-in-Chief Ben Collins explains this success as follows: “People love getting something in their mailbox that isn’t fucking awful.”

Does print media for children have a future?

Dr. Aralynn McMane / WAN-IFRA

Since 2017, The New York Times has included a print edition for children every month. But that format has just been discontinued, and the American newspaper is now inviting its young readers to follow it… on Instagram. Is this the final nail in the coffin for print publications aimed at children? In reality, other projects are flourishing, particularly in Norway.

On medianes.org

It's homemade

Choosing the right paper

Christelle Perrin / MÉDIANES

Whether you’re printing posters or cards for your events on an occasional basis, or your publication takes the form of a more ambitious print format—such as a magazine, newsletter, or book—the same question always comes up: Which paper should you choose? Thick or thin, textured or smooth, brilliant white or warm ivory… We’ll help you figure it out.

In Brief

THAT WAY, YOU'LL KNOW

1. Contexte, Le Monde, Le 1: These media outlets are hiring. Check out their job openings.

2. Stuck for inspiration for your 404 page? We’re sharing a shower of errors to help put the start of the school year into perspective.

3. The pre-order campaign for *Le Cri* is now open! This “Christian, joyful, and radical” monthly magazine, supported by the studio, isMédianes launching and seeking its first supporters.

4. September also marks the launch of Flaix, a local and cultural bimonthly magazine dedicated to the Aix region.

5. Journalists and employers, you can view the new freelance fee schedules, which include several changes affecting independent media outlets that are members of Spiil.

See you on September 18!

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 from INA, Ouest-France, and HuffPost, as well as everyone who has recently joined us.

See you on September 18. 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 and a strategy, marketing, and design studio dedicated to independent journalism.