A locally produced print newspaper launched in northern Greece is expanding beyond its rural roots, driven by community support and a focus on village life.
Fotini Gallou was born and raised in Thessaloniki before moving with her family to Proti, a small village in the Serres region, their place of origin. She later returned to Thessaloniki for her studies. However, her desire to create something of her own, combined with her connection to her home region, led her to establish "ta horiatika", a newspaper dedicated to stories, customs, initiatives and local news from villages in the area.
The first issue was published in February 2023 as an eight-page black-and-white print edition. Gallou personally handled distribution, delivering copies door-to-door and to central locations across the municipality of Amphipolis. Nearly three years later, the publication is approaching its 40th issue. It now prints 1,500 copies each month and is distributed across more than 25 physical locations. Readers in other parts of Greece and abroad also receive the newspaper by subscription.
"Everyone has their own story about their village, and I wanted to tell mine myself," Gallou told Voria.gr. She continues to oversee all aspects of the project, acting as publisher, editor and distributor.
The initiative has attracted national attention following Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis's interview with Gallou in December 2024. Their discussion focused on support for regional populations, strengthening entrepreneurship and the primary sector in areas such as Serres, incentives for young people and families to settle outside major cities, and the use of technology to address inequalities between urban and rural areas, particularly in education.
Gallou emphasised the role of family support in sustaining the project. She described a supportive environment, noting that her mother would wake at 5 am to help with distribution, while her father stayed up overnight to finalise each issue before printing. Although more people are now involved in supporting the newspaper, its romantic character has been preserved.
Originally distributed in villages within the Amphipolis municipality, Ta Horiatika now reaches readers as far as Sweden and India. "The newspaper travels more than we do," Gallou said, attributing its growth entirely to public support.
After three years of reporting on small communities and local initiatives, she said the publication reflects a broader sentiment: "Ta horiatika have the love of the people for what they feel is 'village'. People long for it." She added that villages are not "a place where everything collapses", but are sustained by their communities.
Alongside the print edition, the newspaper now operates a website with expanded content. However, Gallou said her main aim remains unchanged: to create a shared platform through which villages across Greece can tell their stories, which she believes are "more similar than we think".
by Vasiliki Anagnostou - adapted from Greek by Vassia Barba
