How Internazionale defies the decline of Italian print media

In 1992, a group of young Italian journalists on holiday in France stumbled upon Courrier International, a French weekly that had been translating articles from the international press into French since its inception five years earlier. Inspired by the concept, they tried to replicate it in Italy. After securing modest investments and initiating contacts with international press via phone and fax, the first issue of Internazionale was published in 1993. 

At first glance, launching an Italian magazine focused on international news might have seemed counterintuitive at the time, given Italy's own tumultuous events. Those were the years of mafia massacres, major corruption scandals shaking the political landscape, and the rise of the charismatic populist politician Silvio Berlusconi, which drew global attention to Italian affairs instead.

Sales in the initial years were not particularly impressive, but 2001 marked a turning point for the young magazine. Police brutality during the G8 summit in Genoa had profoundly impacted Italian public opinion. By publishing foreign press reportages of foreign students and journalists brutally beaten by the Italian police, Internazionale offered unique perspectives on these shocking events. That issue sold out, and the same happened two months later after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. Leveraging its expertise with foreign sources, the magazine carved out a unique niche. This helped Internazionale gain traction, attracting and probably even creating an audience eager to look beyond Italy's borders or curious about how Italian affairs appeared through a global lens.

Internazionale was a brilliant concept for the pre-internet world, when access to information – particularly from international sources – was much more limited. In today’s digital landscape, dominated by various forms of news filters, from algorithms to newsletters and Substack, which can replace the role Internazionale once played, the magazine's original mission may appear less pertinent. Not to mention that the same articles translated by Internazionale are frequently just a click away. Yet, against all odds, the magazine has not only persisted but thrived in the age of the internet.

“We stay relevant because we are more than just a sterile digest of global news, we are a magazine for the curious and open-minded. Our readers know that Internazionale will bring to their home unexpected topics and unusual angles, and experiments with new formats and ideas. They trust our curatorial expertise and content selection,” explained Giovanni De Mauro, Internazionale’s director and founder, to The Fix.

Certainly, it helps that the typical reader of Internazionale hails from a major Italian city, predominantly in the richer North, and possesses a higher level of education. They are part of that group willing to pay for quality journalism. In many ways, Internazionale's audience overlaps with that of Il Post, another successful journalistic venture in an otherwise bleak Italian media landscape marked by dwindling sales.

Spending so much time in close contact with foreign press, it's no surprise that Internazionale is often ahead of the curve. It was the first to introduce comic journalism to the pages of an Italian magazine, inspired by the work of Joe Sacco with English-speaking media. To this day, Internazionale publishes weekly an excerpt from a different graphic novel, a photographic project, and it has featured independent comic strips from both Italian and international artists that couldn't find a platform elsewhere in Italy.

A hallmark that makes Internazionale immediately recognizable is its meticulously curated design. The magazine's visual and brand identity has been at the forefront of Italian publishing, thanks to its collaboration with the acclaimed editorial designer Mark Porter. Yet, a crucial aspect, perhaps less visible to readers, is the magazine’s attention to language. Since Internazionale is composed mostly of translations, it needs to ensure fidelity to the original text without compromising fluency in Italian. To achieve this, Internazionale employs a team of copy editors who work exclusively to maintain internal consistency between very different articles, and avoid a collage effect.

Over the years, Internazionale has introduced several side projects, including Internazionale Kids, a monthly magazine that adapts Internazionale's style for children and teenagers. On significant historical anniversaries, it has published thematic issues in book format, recounting events like the rise of fascism or 1989 through foreign press reports from that time. Nearly 20 years ago, Internazionale had the foresight to create a festival, recognizing readers' desire to engage with their favorite authors in person and to connect with a community of fellow readers. Today, the festival Internazionale a Ferrara annually brings journalists, writers, and filmmakers from around the world to the Renaissance city of Ferrara, with attendance nearing 80,000 people.

Naturally, not all the experiments succeed. “When we launch a new enterprise, we start with a cautious approach, blending optimism and fatalism, as there are always factors beyond our control that can determine success or failure”, explained De Mauro. He cites the example of L’Essenziale, a spinoff weekly newspaper in Berliner format with a different design and identity, launched during the pandemic. The idea was to focus on Italy and tell stories from often overlooked parts of the country. However, the rising cost of paper due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine disrupted the financial calculations and business plan, necessitating a revision of the project. This led to the idea being significantly downsized and moved online, eliminating the print edition. “It's not always easy, but knowing when to stop in time is a necessary skill to learn,” reflected De Mauro. On the bright side, shutting down L’Essenziale freed up funds and mental energy, allowing Internazionale to focus on launching podcasts. This shift led to a significant increase in digital subscriptions and enhanced engagement among the 25 to 40-year-old age group.

At the moment, Internazionale is busy exploring different formulas for its website, which has been online since 1994. It was the second internet page ever launched by a print media outlet in Italy. Though the website offers a wide range of free articles and original content for the web version, most of the material published in the magazine is behind a paywall. “Previously, all articles were either equally accessible or not accessible at all. Now, depending on how often users visit the site, more or fewer new articles will be accessible. We thought this could be a way to incentivize frequent visitors by offering them more content. However, loyal to our ‘launch and learn’ mindset, in a month we might change our minds and move on from the dynamic paywall,” said De Mauro.

Thanks to its careful, yet not risk-averse approach, Internazionale generates an annual revenue of 9 million euros, with 85 percent coming from sales and subscriptions, while advertising contributes 15 percent. Subscriptions, both digital and print, have become the main income sources, surpassing newsstand sales. While digital-only subscriptions are growing significantly, they are not yet the majority. Print subscriptions, which include digital access, remain stable. The magazine circulates 190,000 copies weekly, with 50,000 sold at newsstands, 85,000 through print subscriptions, and 55,000 through digital-only subscriptions.

As of 2024, Internazionale employed almost 50 people and collaborated with around 20 foreign press readers who select articles. “There isn't much renewal in the editorial team, which means people are happy with their jobs. However, this leaves little room for turnover, making it difficult to bring in younger talent with different perspectives”, admitted De Mauro. Certainly, over the years, Internazionale has evolved into a visually appealing magazine, boasting an attractive design and a strong identity. Yet, at its core, its relevance still rests on a fundamentally simple concept: the vast array of available information on the internet becomes unmanageable unless it is carefully filtered and curated.

Source of the cover photo: Courtesy of Internazionale