At the 5th Mais Social Congress, Maria João Ruela and Rúben Santos, journalist and editor-in-chief of DIÁRIO, debated the visibility of the social economy in the media. Both agreed that responsibility for communication failures is shared between institutions and media outlets.
Ruela highlighted that institutions often struggle to explain their work, present data, or show concrete results. Media, in turn, face resource shortages and audience pressure. She emphasized that a well-told human story can be more impactful than raw data.
Furthermore, Ruela criticized the lack of demand from funders, including the state, who do not always scrutinize the quality of services. Santos added that while regional press benefits from proximity, the challenge is to make stories reach a wider audience, citing the issue of homelessness as an example.
The discussion concluded that social media does not replace journalism and that institutional publications can be a starting point for journalistic investigations. The challenge was set for institutions to better communicate their impact and for the media to seek stories beyond immediate news.
