Why did Mensagem de Lisboa decide to focus on this project?
Mensagem de Lisboa felt that there was a need for more coverage for migrants and foreigners living in Lisbon. They noticed there was a desire for local news, knowledge about the city’s history, and information about cultural norms, but there were few sources for such information.
How did applying design-thinking principles help?
During the project’s preparation phase, team members conducted interviews, a survey, and informal meetups with community members from diverse backgrounds to better understand what needs were not being met. These insights provided the basis of the newsletter’s early editions.
When crafting newsletters, the organisation prioritised making it feel like a discussion with a neighbor. The newsletter covered themes like integration tips and coverage of local events.
Did Mensagem de Lisboa’s approach change engagement with its audience in any way?
The project laid the foundations for a long-term bilingual strategy at Mensagem de Lisboa, helping the organisation understand how to serve an audience traditionally excluded from local media. The outlet emphasised that the project was small in scope, and more newsletters are needed in the future to transform engagement with their audience.
What challenges did Mensagem de Lisboa encounter and how did it address them?
A significant challenge the group faced was engaging Lisbon’s growing foreign population, who often lived in a parallel world, disconnected from both local Portuguese society and other immigrant communities. Despite speaking the newsletter’s language, many migrants remain socially and culturally distant from issues affecting the city. They also show limited interest in stories beyond their immediate experience. To bridge this gap, direct feedback from audience members was crucial.
How was the project received by Mensagem de Lisboa’s audience?
The project was received positively, but more work is needed to strengthen engagement.
What insights or lessons did Mensagem de Lisboa gain from this project?
Experiences of migration vary widely based on race, class, and origin. Mensagem de Lisboa learned that a one-size-fits-all approach to immigrant-focused media does not work. When covering stories that intersect with different migration narratives — like shared struggles around bureaucracy or housing — it is important not to flatten distinct experiences.
Mensagem de Lisboa also learned that surveys provide crucial feedback for projects like this. While the scope of their survey was small, they received thorough answers that guided their approach.
What are Mensagem de Lisboa’s next steps?
While Lisboa Without Borders proved there is a clear need and audience for immigrant-centered, English-language journalism in Lisbon, continuing the project beyond the grant period is not currently feasible without additional funding. As a small, independent newsroom,
its capacity is limited, and it cannot sustainably produce this newsletter at the quality and frequency it requires without dedicated resources.
That said, the insights and connections gained through this project will continue to shape Mensagem’s broader editorial vision. If another grant opportunity or funding source becomes available, it will expand the project, potentially scaling it into a fully bilingual platform and deepening community collaboration. The groundwork has been laid and the audience is there.
What the outlet now needs is a path to sustainability that values this kind of journalism as essential to a more inclusive and cohesive Lisbon. Until then, the project remains a blueprint — and a reminder — of what’s possible when underrepresented voices are prioritised in the local media landscape.
Beyond expanding the current project, Mensagem de Lisboa reflected that there is a need to host more events in general, in order to cultivate a stronger sense of community.
What advice would Mensagem de Lisboa give to other journalists or organisations considering a similar path?
Building inclusive, cross-community dialogue requires more than language — it requires intentional framing, context and diverse representation in storytelling, and continued effort to challenge social silos that exist even within migrant populations. Newsletters are more than newsletters — they are a glimpse into a community. To this end, a fitting tone is essential.
Credit: Transitions, Journalismfund Europe's partner for implementing the Microgrants for Small Newsrooms programme, produced this case study.
