It was a strange summer, the one in 2011.
I will not be lying if I say that the time when we, a group of journalists, but, above all, comrades and friends, came together to think and create the Sul Informação, it was exciting, full of renewed hopes and big dreams.
Nor will I be untrue if I say that it was one of the times when I felt particularly alive and able to shape the world to my liking.
But I would be lying if I said that it was all a bed of roses, a determined and triumphant journey, full of certainties.
The summer of 2011 was also a time of farewells and a break with the past, the time that Elisabete, Nuno and I left behind, with a natural feeling of anguish and sadness, a project that we cherished a lot and to which we dedicated many and good years.
That summer was also a lot of brainstorming, trying to understand how we were going to put out a newspaper, at a time when the economic crisis was ravaging the country – and the world – and the regional press, especially the Algarve, was experiencing a particularly dark period in its history.
There were many days and nights burning eyelashes, there were many “genius” ideas that ended up being discarded, as they proved to be unfeasible, there were many dead ends…
However, the perseverance was stronger and, I say this without fear of being immodest, the desire to create a newspaper that stood out against the best, that was a reference and where independent journalism and the mission to inform with rigor and impartiality could be found. a home for them to live happily.
Today the Sul Informação it's been nine years and I feel like it's everything we dreamed of then and even more, much more.
Today, what started as a simple website, created from scratch by the “crazy” who got into the adventure of creating a newspaper, when everyone wanted to get rid of them, is the main media in the Algarve and Baixo Alentejo and a of the country's most prominent regional newspapers.
I could talk about the number of visitors, of pageviews or clicks that we currently have on our website, which impress and greatly support us.
I could talk about the many awards, individual and collective, that the Sul Informação and its journalists have received, in this short life of ours, or even the international recognition that were the international grants we received from Facebook and Google.
But I think I prefer to talk about Pedro, who joined the team later, but who quickly became a member of the family – because that is what we are, above all, a family.
I would also like to talk about Nilton, Taciana and Nelson, collaborators in the audiovisual area, Aurélio Cabrita, our service historian, the always biting and accurate Gonçalo Gomes, one of our most faithful columnists – and, in his person, all those who honor us with their collaboration, in the opinion column.
And Mariana, Anas (there are several), Flávio, Fabiana, Pablo, Bárbara, Hélder, Rodrigo, Tomás, Cristina, Martyna, Laura and many others who are still or have passed away. fur Sul Informação and helped us to grow.
And I want to speak, above all, of our many and faithful readers, of those who praise us but who do not hesitate to constructively criticize, those who left the Sul Informação and, in addition, the team that makes it, to be part of their lives.
It was a strange summer, this one in 2020.
Glad we still have good things to celebrate.
Author Hugo Rodrigues is deputy director of Sul Informação.
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