I.MEDIA

I.MEDIA (also written I.Media or Agence I.MEDIA) is a news agency based in Rome that specialises in coverage of the Pope, the Holy See and Vatican affairs. It was founded in the 1990s by the French journalist Jean-Marie Guénois with the support of the Franco-Belgian media group Média-Participations, and over the following decades it established itself as a reference point for Vatican news, particularly within the French-speaking Catholic press. The agency's editorial output is built around the daily activity of the Holy See: audiences, Angelus and Regina Cæli addresses, canonisations, ad limina visits, papal travel and the wider institutional life of the Roman Curia. Its website, imedia.news, organises this material into news (Actualité), analysis (Décryptage), thematic dossiers and infographics, and offers a subscription service for professional and institutional readers. Coverage is published primarily in French and is aimed at Catholic and general-interest media, embassies, international institutions and episcopal conferences that rely on the agency for Rome-based reporting. I.MEDIA employs a small team of journalists accredited to the Holy See Press Office, which allows them to follow the Pope's movements and report directly from the Vatican. The agency's reputation for speed and reliability was illustrated in 2013, when it was, together with the Italian agency ANSA, the first news organisation to report Benedict XVI's resignation from the pontificate. Leadership of the agency has changed hands several times. Antoine-Marie Izoard became director in 2005; in 2012 the agency launched a new website; in August 2016 Aymeric Pourbaix, then editorial director of the magazine Famille chrétienne, succeeded Izoard, who moved to head the weekly in an exchange of roles. Hugues Lefèvre later led the agency, and in January 2026 Anna Kurian became its director. As a niche but influential specialist agency, I.MEDIA occupies a distinct position in the media landscape: it is not a general wire service but a dedicated Vatican desk whose copy feeds a wide network of Catholic and mainstream outlets. Its ownership by Média-Participations places it within a larger Franco-Belgian publishing and media group, while its editorial identity remains closely tied to Rome and to the French-language Catholic press.

I.MEDIA was created in the 1990s by the French journalist Jean-Marie Guénois, with the backing of the Franco-Belgian media group Média-Participations. From its base in Rome, the agency set out to provide French-language coverage of the Pope and the Holy See at a time when dedicated Vatican reporting for the Catholic press was in demand. In 2005 Antoine-Marie Izoard became director of the agency, a role in which he shaped its editorial line for more than a decade. In 2012 the agency launched a new website, modernising its distribution at a moment when digital publishing was transforming specialist news services. A notable leadership change came in August 2016, when Aymeric Pourbaix, then editorial director of the magazine Famille chrétienne, succeeded Antoine-Marie Izoard. The two men effectively exchanged posts, with Izoard taking over the leadership of the weekly. Hugues Lefèvre later served as director of the agency, and in January 2026 Anna Kurian became director of I.MEDIA, succeeding him. Throughout its existence the agency has maintained a small editorial team of journalists accredited to the Holy See Press Office, allowing it to analyse Roman affairs and follow the Pope's travels directly. Its copy is used by Catholic and general-interest media, embassies, international institutions and episcopal conferences. One of the clearest demonstrations of its editorial standing came in 2013, when I.MEDIA was, together with the Italian agency ANSA, the first news organisation to report Benedict XVI's renunciation of the pontificate — a story of global significance that rewarded the agency's Vatican-focused beat.

• I.MEDIA founded in the 1990s by Jean-Marie Guénois with the support of Média-Participations.

• Antoine-Marie Izoard becomes director of the agency in 2005.

• The agency launches a new website in 2012.

• In 2013, I.MEDIA and ANSA are the first news organisations to report Benedict XVI's resignation.

• Aymeric Pourbaix succeeds Antoine-Marie Izoard as director in August 2016.

• Anna Kurian becomes director of I.MEDIA in January 2026, succeeding Hugues Lefèvre.

Specialist news agency and reference source for Vatican and papal affairs, serving Catholic and general-interest media, embassies, international institutions and episcopal conferences.

• imedia.news

  Subscription-based news website covering Vatican and papal affairs, with news, analysis, dossiers and infographics.

1. 1Imedia - Agence de presse spécialiste du Vaticanimedia.news
2. 2Agence I.MEDIAfr.wikipedia.org
3. 3Wikidata Q124488378wikidata.org