Readers' participation in press

an approach to study Jornal de Notícias' Cartas do Leitor

Abstract

Readers' contributions to the press, frequently known as 'letters-to-the-editor', have managed a long-term relationship in the general grasp of press. As suggested by Marisa Torres da Silva (2009), the development of new means of transportation, which tended to promote larger trips, in association with better post office services, led to a huge increase of mail exchanges among citizens in several countries in Europe, especially from eighteenth century on.
In this paper, we try to bring back this old heritage of a certain citizens' engagement in the press into a more up-to-date understanding of 'letters-to-the-editor', in the particular case of Cartas do Leitor, from Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Notícias. We have read all the letters published throughout February 2012, questioning what kind of topics were raised by the readers, which were the common concerns, etc. Through an online survey, we also questioned 31 readers/participants in these spaces, getting to know their characteristics, motivations and constraints concerning their participation. This paper seeks to raise some sort of discussion towards the actual role of readers in the media discourse, evaluating as well the potential of new discourses involving media and audiences.