Innovative Development of Engagement with Local Readers

Our association has always considered it important to actively involve the community in content creation. This is achieved by sending their written and multimedia content and other information to our editorial team. For five years, members of our community, as well as our readers living further away, have been able to send us content, ideas and information via an encrypted messaging system (called: "I report"). We would like to further develop this system so that the content sent by readers is automatically uploaded to the self-developed editorial system (CMS) of Nyugat.hu and Enyugat.hu. In this way, a workflow will be automated. We can process, check and use as a basis for our articles more content sent in by our readers.

Target group

Our target audience is primarily the readers of the West-Hungarian region, mainly residents of Vas County, but there is also a significant number from the capital. We also have regular readers from abroad, mainly people who have ties with our region. The majority of our readership is in the 35-65+ age group, but 18-34-year-olds are also present on our sites. Gender distribution: 51% women, 49% men.

Goals of the project

• Civilians will have more trust in local news
• Civilians will be more interested in public affairs
• Civilians will be better informed about social issues
• Civilians’ local empowerment will be increase

Expected results 

• Increasing our readership
• Readership of our public affairs articles and social media posts increases
• Increase in the number of relevant comments
• More ideas will be submitted to our “I report system” to achieve and reform social goals.

Implemented activities 

The association has long considered it important to actively involve the community in the creation of content for its news portals. The aim of the project was to present as much real information and opinions as possible, to bring opinions into conflict, to represent civilians against the authorities, and thus to develop the capacity of civilians to advocate. This is also important because the lack of processing and visualization of information has led to a loss of voice for the people of Hungary against state and municipal institutions and economic oligarchs. The association also aims to give this advocacy capacity back to the community, using the additional opportunities and publicity power of the media. 

This is achieved by readers sending written and multimedia content and other information to the association, Nyugat.hu, and Enyugat.hu editorial offices. For the past five years, readers have been able to send content, ideas, and information through an encrypted messaging system ("Ireport System"), in addition to traditional forms. Within the framework of the project, this system has been further developed so that the content submitted by readers is automatically uploaded to the editorial system (CMS) developed by Nyugat.hu and Enyugat.hu. This way, a workflow has been automated, allowing more content submitted by more readers to be processed and checked, forming the basis for articles.

Impact addressing news deserts

They are the largest, oldest and best known independent news source in the region, they feel they have an important role to play in compensating for the impact of the news desert. To maintain this role, they must continue to maintain close contact with the readers and to continue to solve problems for local people.

Impact on the project's target audiences and local communities:

• improved their relationship with the readers
• they can process, identify, and solve more of their problems.