Portuguese communities living abroad play an indelible role in projecting Portugal worldwide. Indeed, the importance of the role they play is widely recognized.
The creation of appropriate support mechanisms, as well as the promotion of organizations of an associative nature, has been a constant feature of the government’s foreign affairs department when it comes to adopting policies aimed at supporting the associative movement of Portuguese origin in the world, particularly in countries where there are Portuguese communities.
At the present time, it is essential to support projects that involve the new generations, diversifying their commitment in areas related to the promotion of the Portuguese language and culture, the fight against xenophobia, the promotion of gender equality and non-discrimination on the grounds of race, color, ethnic or national origin, ancestry, language, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or physical or mental disability.
Still, on the dimension relating to the fundamental role played by Portuguese communities, it is important to highlight the importance of the diaspora’s media to Portuguese communities, as they enable communities living abroad to get closer to topics that are of specific interest to them, related to their sense of belonging and the promotion of Portuguese culture and language.
Several media organizations have been created within the Portuguese communities, which, in addition to producing content about the activities carried out by the Portuguese communities living abroad, also produce content about current affairs in Portugal and Portuguese music, among others. The media in the diaspora are an essential instrument in the organization of society, disseminating social references in their most varied formats and reaching the public in written, radio, television, and multimedia forms.
In carrying out this vital role, the media must adopt a behavior of impartiality and rigor, framed by the necessary and appropriate ethical rules.
The architecture of mass communication and how citizens relate to and consume content has undergone profound changes with the digital technological revolution. Creating a new way of communicating digitally and its democratization has allowed informal channels to spread and multiply. Likewise, the immediacy and profusion of content senders have led to concrete challenges for the formal media, particularly regarding their role and their informative and business ethics.
It is, therefore, one of the government’s objectives to support and enhance the media in the diaspora.

National support could benefit media from the Azorean emigrant communities.

Given their size, the Azorean emigrant communities, particularly in the USA and Canada, have long had a strong entrepreneurial dynamic in diaspora media. Many Azorean emigrants in these communities dedicate themselves to and work on media projects – television, radio, and newspapers – aimed at the Portuguese community, particularly the Azorean community.
In recent years, the Government of the Azores, through the Regional Directorate for Communities, has made efforts to promote closer ties and sharing between the media in the Azores and the Azorean diaspora through various initiatives and events, taking advantage of the strong dynamics and the existence, in those communities, of various media outlets dedicated to issues concerning the Azorean communities living in those countries.

ADMA – Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance was created to bring the Azorean media and the diaspora

Several media organizations from the Azores and the Azorean communities in the United States and Canada have joined the Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance (ADMA), a platform for sharing ideas, cooperation, and understanding promoted by the Government of the Azores and managed by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) at California State University, Fresno, USA.
By the last quarter of 2022, 16 bodies based in the region had joined the project.
From the United States of America, another 16 subscribers had joined ADMA, namely Portuguese Times, Feel Portugal in the USA, Rádio Portugal USA, O Jornal, Rádio Clube Português, Rádio Portugal, A Praça Magazine, Rádio WJFD, Rádio Voz do Emigrante, Diáspora Media Group, The Portuguese Channel, Televisão Portuguesa da Califórnia, SPTV, De Cá para Lá TV, PAMA Rádio and Rádio Lusalândia.
Canada was initially joined by 19 organizations: Portuguese in Manitoba, Rádio BC, Gente da Nossa TV, Festival Português TV, Revista Amar, Rádio Azores, Sons de Portugal, Luso Can TV, Milénio, Media Group Inc, Etc&Tal Magazine, Rádio Centre-Ville, CIRV FM, CKJS Multicultural, O Milhafre, Luso Life, Sol Português, Camões Rádio and Camões TV.
Many other media outlets in the diaspora, whether in the USA or Canada or in other countries with Portuguese emigrant communities, may meet the requirements and want to apply for the public support now made available by the Portuguese government.
The government wants the diaspora media to improve their capacities. It means reaching more audiences with relevant, current, and immediate content aligned with the national interests of promoting the Portuguese language and culture.
Portugal’s projection in the world is enhanced by a dynamic, solid, influential, and comprehensive media in the diaspora.

in Diário dos Açores – Osvaldo Cabral, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno–PBBI thanks the sponsorship of the Luso-American Development Foundation from Lisbon, Portugal (FLAD)