The Importance of Regional Newspapers in Portugal

We live in a time marked by significant changes brought about by the development of the Internet and digital publications, and, in this context, the newspaper is a medium that has undergone profound transformations. In a context marked by the speed of production and dissemination of news content, in which “news no longer sells newspapers”, we seek, through bibliographic research, to understand the evolution of the commercialisation of the Portuguese press – using statistical studies on the number of newspapers in circulation –, understand the differences and synergies between printed and digital newspapers, and lead a reflection on the role of the newspaper, in particular, the regional newspaper. Portugal is strongly marked by migratory dynamics from the interior to abroad and the country’s coast, which have determined the demographic depression of a large part of the territory. It is, above all, in these regions, where substantial slices of their communities depart, that regional newspapers assume a decisive role in the preservation of ties between the resident and migrant communities and in the perpetuation of their identity culture beyond the primary function of informing in an unbiased way.