Upcoming Trade Shows Lisbon, Portugal for Entertainment & Media

When it comes to storytelling, Lisbon has always been on top of trends. The city’s entertainment and media industry has a nose for innovations and its players never shy away from undertaking new challenges. Lisbon has many stories to tell, but sadly marginalized communities have not had the same opportunities to tell their own. While major media outlets cast their gaze on national headlines, the pulse of local news often remains faint, leaving communities on the fringes unheard and unseen. Enter Mensagem de Lisboa, a digital news startup fueled by a passion for storytelling and a commitment to amplifying underreported voices. Recognizing the need to bridge the gap between traditional media and Lisbon's local news sector, Mensagem embarked on a new journey with Projeto Narrativas, a collaborative journalism initiative aimed at shedding light on stories that mattered most to marginalized communities. Led by Catarina Carvalho, director of Mensagem de Lisboa, the project sought to dismantle barriers and foster constructive storytelling by engaging directly with the residents of Lisbon’s most underserved neighborhoods. Supported by a Journalismfund Europe grant, the team of local journalists went into these communities, where they set up pop-up newsrooms where young people from these neighborhoods finally had a chance to create their own narratives. Through intimate gatherings and think-in sessions, journalists listened, learned, and collaborated with local residents to uncover the untold stories hidden within the fabric of their neighborhoods. Each narrative, meticulously crafted in partnership with community members, found its place on Mensagem's website. Yet, beyond the headlines, Projeto Narrativas aimed for something deeper – a shift in perception, a reimagining of the role of media in society. On one hand, the project solves the problem surrounding parachute journalism. On the other, it addresses the issues with so-called news deserts.