We’re delighted to share another feature in our Member Spotlight Series, showcasing the inspiring work of GFMD members driving positive change in media worldwide.
This month, we shine the spotlight on Agência Mural de Jornalismo das Periferias, an independent outlet from Brazil dedicated to strengthening local journalism rooted in underrepresented and low-income communities, particularly in the outskirts of large urban centres.
Author: Communications Gfmd | 22. April 2026
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Mission and Approach
Starting as a blog in 2010 and formalising in 2018, Agência Mural de Jornalismo das Periferias focuses on bringing coverage from the São Paulo metropolitan region, which means collating news stories from 39 municipalities and 22 million people. Interestingly, despite being the largest metropolitan area in Latin America and hosting 60% of the newsrooms in Brazil, the localities in the region would only get visibility in cases of violence. Agência Mural thus began with a mission to strengthen local journalism rooted in underrepresented and low-income communities, particularly in the outskirts of large urban centres.
Its work is focused on expanding visibility, diversity, and accuracy in media narratives by supporting and publishing journalists who report from their own territories. What makes its approach unique is its network-based model. It collaborates with journalists embedded in their communities, rather than reporting from the outside. They go through a selection and training process with Agência Mural (under the Clube Mural flagship) and learn to follow its editorial guidelines. This allows the outlet to produce stories that are both more nuanced and more accountable to local realities.
Behind this approach is one of Agência Mural’s core beliefs: that information ecosystems are deeply unequal, and that journalism plays a key role in addressing these imbalances. By amplifying local voices and lived experiences, it seeks to foster more inclusive public debate and support civic participation.
Beyond its local reportage, Agência Mural today operates not only as a newsroom but also as an infrastructure builder for local journalism. It is the operational partner of the Fundo de Apoio ao Jornalismo (FAJ), the first fund dedicated to strengthening local journalism in the Global South, where it leads an organisational development program supporting 15 independent newsrooms across Brazil.
Recent Achievements
One of its key recent initiatives is Mural Local, a two-year pilot project (2025-26) focused on strengthening local information ecosystems at the neighbourhood level. Mural Local is based on a simple yet insightful premise that access to information is not only about producing content, but about ensuring that relevant, trustworthy information circulates and is recognised within specific territories.
The project combines local reporting, AI tools helping to extract public data and translating it into palatable information, experimentation with formats and automated and individual distribution, with a close observation of how information flows in different communities, including digital, informal, and platform-based environments.
“What makes Mural Local particularly important is that it moves beyond the idea of ‘more journalism’ as the only solution. Instead, it asks how journalism can operate within complex, fragmented ecosystems, where platforms, algorithms, and everyday communication practices shape what people actually see and trust. Our constant variable is to ask about the information needs of the audience it wants to serve.”
Impact on Communities and the Media Landscape
The initiative Mural Local has helped the outlet better understand and respond to how information actually circulates in underrepresented urban areas. Some of its key impacts include:
Strengthening the presence of locally relevant journalism in specific territories
Increasing engagement by aligning formats and distribution with how people already access information
Deepening our relationship with audiences, not only as readers, but as participants in local information ecosystems
Additionally, the project is also contributing to a broader shift in the media field, in that it challenges the assumption that distribution is neutral, and highlights the need to think about journalism as part of a wider system of circulation, trust, and recognition. Read their latest impact report for more details.
Mural Local currently reaches 1,932 people who receive content directly, with an average of 193 people per territory. Across all ten territories, the outlet produces around 20 news items per week, approximately 80 pieces of content per month, maintaining an average of two pieces per territory each week.
“Importantly, story ideas are developed through direct listening to audiences, ensuring that coverage is closely aligned with local information needs and everyday realities.”
Challenges and Strategic Approaches
One of the central challenges facing Agência Mural is sustainability, particularly in developing models that support ongoing, territorially-rooted journalism. Mural Local itself emerged as a response to this challenge. It pushes the organisation to rethink not only funding, but also distribution and relevance, meaning how to ensure that journalism is not only produced, but also reaches and resonates with communities.
To remedy this challenge, Agência Mural is currently exploring:
New partnerships that connect journalism with local actors and institutions
Alternative distribution strategies beyond traditional platforms
Ways to integrate editorial, technological, and community-based approaches
“At a broader level, this reflects a shift in the field: the question is no longer only how to finance journalism, but how to sustain the recognition of reliable information in increasingly digital and algorithmic environments.”
Reflections on being a part of the GFMD network
“Local journalism is not just about proximity — it’s about being part of the information ecosystem of a place, understanding how people access, share, trust and use the information in their everyday lives.”
– Izabela Moi, Executive director, Agência Mural de Jornalismo das Periferias
Connect with Agência Mural de Jornalismo das Periferias
