Cyberjournalism in local media: a distant proximity in an untapped cyberspace

Abstract

In Portugal, local and regional media play an important role in territorial cohesion and affirming community identity. However, these media outlets face a double challenge: a scarcity of resources and the urgency of adapting to the digital world. This exploratory study addresses this reality, focusing on the districts of Bragança, Vila Real, and Viseu, regions that belong to the so-called "news deserts." Therefore, through a quantitative and systematic content analysis, we seek to understand how local and regional media outlets, with an online presence and duly registered with the ERC (Regulatory Authority for Social Communication), are harnessing the potential of digital journalism. Our results revealed limited digital activity, marked by sporadic publications, with little thematic diversity, and a timid use of multimedia resources. We found that interactivity with readers is practically nonexistent, which contradicts the community bond that would be expected from these organizations. In these cases, local journalism is lost in a distant practice, more focused on the newsroom than on the territory. Thus, this research highlights the urgent need to rethink the production models and digital presence of Portuguese local media, so that local journalism once again becomes a practice, rather than a promise.