If resources don’t enable the launch of a new regional print edition, or even a website, a blog can offer a daily news platform at little or no cost.

LibéLyon is staffed by the papers’ two local correspondents in Lyon.

The blog is promoted on Libération’s website, instead of being hidden in a blog-only section.

“No stigmas linked to the form, as is the case on Le Monde’s website, where bloggers are just good enough to fill a 190px*450px colmn,” commented the Observatoire des Médias.

Newspapers should present and link to blogs according to thematic topics, not segregate them by format. Cheers to this initiative by Libération.

A little peek into Libération’s planned redesign for Oct. 15:

The new Libération will be full color, first in Paris and Nancy, then throughout France starting next February.

The structure of the paper’s sections has been changed. The first section of the paper will relate to editorial news, revolving around three main news themes. The second section will focus on other news in France and internationally, and will include new features such as the ‘counter-newspaper’, which will showcase reader reactions.

“With time, Libé had become an anxious newspaper, oriented towards the somber side of things. We want to change that attitude by turning it into a newspaper that diffuses energy,” said Laurent Joffrin, the paper’s director.

Source: Le Figaro – Observatoire des medias through IFRA Executive News Service