On the 1st of October, the coordination of Sphera was transferred from the NGO Babel International to Médianes, a French-based media and media consulting agency.This alliance will allow both organisations to achieve their shared goal of strengthening the independent media ecosystem in Europe.
Sphera is a European network of independent media, which promotes socially-engaged cross-border journalism, through collaborative reports, podcasts, videos and events across Europe.
Ten partners across seven countries have been working together since 2021 – StreetPress (France), 444 (Hungary), El Salto (Spain), Krytyka Polityczna (Poland), Popaganda (Greece), VDNews (Italy), Europod (Belgium), Dinamo (Italy), and Arty Farty (France) — funded via a European Commission pilot project scheme, national and philanthropic funding as well as its production studio activities.
On the 1st October 2024, Médianes, a media NGO and consulting agency, took over the network’s leadership from Babel International. The initiatives are joining forces to boost Sphera’s impact within the European independent media ecosystem.
You can read the press release on this change here.
Why is this a big opportunity for Sphera Network?
Sphera Network and Médianes have been working together for several years. We share the common goal of supporting independent media and promoting quality journalism, by providing the platform for new voices to emerge. Together, we want to amplify our impact and provide a concrete response to the challenges that European independent media are facing today.
Over the past two years, our two teams have found more and more opportunities to collaborate, particularly around Sphera’s marketing strategy and the development of its editorial output. These collaborations highlighted common values and natural synergies, giving birth to the idea that a strategic alliance between the two projects could be a real lever for the future of European journalism.
By taking over the helm of Sphera Network, Médianes will now work in close collaboration with our aforementioned ten partners in seven European countries.
What does this mean for Sphera in concrete terms?
Sphera’s team of 8 people now work within Médianes, with Francesca Festa, co-founder of the network, leading the project’s development while upholding its mission and core values.
We have always been committed to promoting compassionate and socially-engaged cross-border journalism.
This next step will allow us to strengthen our organisation and optimise our resources to continue to offer quality editorial content that is accessible to as many young Europeans as possible.
We will continue to produce videos and podcasts in seven languages from seven countries and will be expanding through new formats very soon.
What is Médianes?
Launched in 2020, Médianes is both a media and a strategy consulting, marketing and graphic design company for media. Using the models they put in place, Médianes seeks to bring about a new generation of media, which are closer to their audiences, and which share their values around ecology, feminism and social justice.
The team supports creators and managers in two ways, depending on their needs and resources.
- Via its media, a not-for-profit enterprise which inspires and equips founders and managers through the multiple ressources it publishes, including monitoring newsletters, a podcast and a book.
- Via its consulting agency, which provides strategic support to newsrooms and their managers. Médianes has collaborated with a hundred organisations including La Déferlante, POLITICO, Vert, StreetPress, Contexte, RFI, Disclose, Beaux Arts Magazine, Arrêt sur images, AOC, and Reporters Without Borders.
To know more, please read Médianes’ About Us (in French)
Our shared mission: promote socially-engaged crossborder journalism
This alliance is crucial for defending independent media against the worrying rise of far-right movements and parties across Europe, as well as increasing economic and political pressures. We firmly believe that this alliance allows us, Sphera and Médianes, to defend our common values around social justice, ecology, feminism, anti-racism and territorial representation.
We are committed to a model of journalism that goes beyond borders, by comparing and contrasting the perspectives and stories of European citizens, and young people in particular, across multiple countries.
Through our reports, podcasts, videos and events, we continue to bring to life stories that reflect the reality on the ground, and give a voice to those who make up today’s society.
So what now?
With this new dynamic, Sphera and Médianes are ready to open up new opportunities for independent media across the continent.
We will accelerate Sphera’s development in Europe, while upholding the mission that has been driving us since the beginning: to defend independent, socially-engaged and cross-border journalism.
Together, we want to continue to build bridges between newsrooms, strengthen the links between media and their audiences, and discover bold new voices.
We are convinced that this next step will give us the ability to make a lasting impact, and we look forward to sharing the adventure with you.
You can also read Médianes’ blogpost on this alliance here (in French).