Two Days of 'Citizen Festival': Journalists and Readers Gather at True Stories Festival to Celebrate Lisbon at CCB

The local Lisbon news outlet Mensagem de Lisboa celebrated its fifth anniversary by organizing the True Stories Festival at the CCB (Centro Cultural de Belém) on June 20-21. The event brought together journalists and readers to share the city's stories live. Approximately 50 guests and over 500 spectators attended the festival.

The festival was not just a celebration but also an opportunity to showcase the power of local journalism. Mensagem de Lisboa focuses on the stories of ordinary people who rarely make it to the mainstream media. Figures like Eupremio Scarpa, Emília Alves, and Marta Canário were among those who shared their life stories at the festival.

The event featured various workshops and panels. These included a Live Journalism panel with international experts (Christine Liehr from Headliner, François Mussau from Diário Vivo, and Vera Penênda from EJC), a documentary photography session with Leica and photojournalists Rui Caria, Gonçalo Fonseca, and Matilde Viegas, a presentation and voting of ideas for Lisbon, a special meeting with the band Capitão Fausto, and a debate on journalism and the passion for facts with Nuno Artur Silva, Ferreira Fernandes, Filipa Martins, and António Castro Caeiro.

The festival aimed to demonstrate how journalism can help improve the place we live in. As Mensagem de Lisboa has previously proven, local journalism can inspire change in Lisbon by moving people and public policies. This festival reinforced that mission.

In conclusion, the True Stories Festival was an event that reflected Lisbon's diversity and vitality, strengthening community bonds. Participants had fun and also had the opportunity to reflect on the social impact of journalism.