PARTICIPATION AND TRUST IN COMMUNITY COMMUNICATION: THE CASES OF VELA NOTÍCIAS AND JORNAL DA ALDEIA.

This research seeks to delve into the dynamics of participation within news platforms curated by non-professional journalists residing in inland Portugal. Through an exploratory study, two initiatives originating from communities located in the country's inland areas are analysed: Vela Notícias, in the Centre region, and Jornal da Aldeia, in the Alentejo region. These initiatives serve as empirical objects illustrating a phenomenon that reflects the shift away from traditional media, the community's eagerness to disseminate locally pertinent knowledge, and the citizens' yearning for social and cultural representation. Both initiatives have emerged in ageing and sparsely populated regions, with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, according to the 2021 Census (Instituto Nacional de Estatística, 2021). To understand and address these concerns, alongside a thorough review of pertinent literature, semi-structured interviews were conducted as a methodological approach involving participants engaged in information production for the two community media outlets. The significance of this study lies in unravelling the intricacies of proximity communication dynamics spearheaded by non-journalist citizens. The residents of both parishes actively contribute to content creation, topic selection, editing, and distribution of the newspapers. Production operates outside the norms of journalistic selection, filtering, and hierarchy. Nevertheless, interviewees exhibit keen interest and confidence in the published information. The motivation for participation stems from a desire to share common values and cultural connections, fostering a sense of belonging and social responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]