A nossa gente (Our people!)

The readers of “Região de Cister” and the entire community of the 3 municipalities will benefit from the project as it aims to show the day-to-day life of ordinary people and reach all social strata.

"A nossa gente" ("Our people") is a series of multimedia reports that will be published in the print and digital editions of Região de Cister. It consists of conducting interviews with ordinary people from our villages and towns. We aim to tell the life stories of farmers, fishermen, shopkeepers, teachers, or individuals from various fields of activity who are everyday heroes. The objective is to highlight the communities of our three municipalities, emphasizing individuals who, typically, would never make headlines in the news. Through their examples, we aim to show that the local society is built by and for everyone.

Reportages will be conducted with ordinary citizens who will share their life stories and represent the local community. The interviews will result in significant journalistic articles that will be published through the print edition and the website of Região de Cister, accompanied by photography and audio. Once a month, a podcast featuring the highlights of these reports will be released.

Target group

The beneficiaries of this project are the readers of Região de Cister and the entire community of the municipalities of Alcobaça, Nazaré, and Porto de Mós, as the project is comprehensive and aims to reach all social strata. The fact that the reports are published in both the print and digital editions is intended to reach all audiences. The objective may involve transforming the project into a monthly podcast, with dissemination on the newspaper's website and on platforms such as Spotify or Apple Podcasts, among others. Considering this region as somewhat of a news desert due to the disappearance of several newspapers in recent decades, we aim to give a voice to communities that have been underserved in terms of news coverage.

Goals of the project

We believe that this project will have a significant impact on the community because we aim to cover sectors of society that are not always represented on the pages of newspapers or in radio news reports. These unsung heroes are examples of resilience, and through this editorial initiative, we want to showcase the true wealth of a region, which is its people. The habits, traditions, and identity of a region, beyond major urban centers, are celebrated through this project.

About the media outlet

"Região de Cister" is a local newspaper that serves three Municipalities in Portugal: Alcobaça, Nazaré and Porto de Mós, all located in the NUTS II region called Centro, in Portugal. The newspaper "Região de Cister" is registered with The Portuguese Regulatory Authority for the Media (ERC - Entidade Reguladora para a Comunicação Social) under the number 223948. The title "Região de Cister" was founded in April 1993 and is published in Portuguese. We are a small size newspaper, with a team of 4 people and a few freelancers. Our weekly edition has 2000 readers and our website reaches 20000 readers. “Região de Cister” is owned by “Palvras Necessárias Lda.” a limited liability company placed in Alcobaça, Portugal