At the microphone of Europe 1, the founder of Mediapart returns Monday on the establishment of a non-capital fund, and non-profit, to ensure the financial independence of the site of investigation, even in case of a hard blow.

INTERVIEW

Mediapart no longer has a shareholder. This is not bad news, far from it, but a small revolution in the world of the media: the site of investigation announced to have sanctuarized its capital and at the same time its independence. "From now on, there is no shareholder, the capital is today neither transferable nor purchasable even less speculable," writes Mediapart on its website.

So far, the capital of the site, founded in 2008, was 42% owned by its four founders including Edwy Plenel, the former boss of the newspaper Le Monde . The remainder partly owned by employees, a company of "friends" and two investors partners, Doxa and Eco finance. This capitalistic montage is over. The capital of Mediapart was acquired by a non-capital and non-profit structure. "The founders of Mediapart understood that the control of capital by the employees did not resist in times of crisis.In times of crisis, it becomes a stake of power, it becomes a battle", explains the microphone of Media Culture , on Europe 1, Edwy Plenel, one of the co-founders of the website.

"We have found a solution that makes the independence of Mediapart irreversible.Our model is what exists in Britain, namely the trust of the Guardian, " says the former boss of the World . "That is to say, there is a trust whose role is to guarantee in perpetuity economic independence by making reservations, so that in times of difficulty it is possible to help the Guardian to he retains his independence. "

"We are not at the mercy of a pressure"

From now on, at Mediapart, "there is no external shareholder who can defend interests outside journalism, we are not at the mercy of any pressure from anyone with interests in mobile telephony. the sale of arms, finance ... ", welcomes Edwy Plenel.

"My challenge with Mediapart was not a challenge of investigation, I had already done that in the World My bet was an entrepreneur's bet," smiles Edwy Plenel again. In fact, in nine years, Mediapart has a rate of return between 17% and 18% compared to its turnover and has some 170,000 paying subscribers.