Private media support strengthens diversity of Azorean democracy, stresses Paulo Estêvão - Communication

Secretaria Regional dos Assuntos Parlamentares e Comunidades

The Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, Paulo Estêvão, highlighted today the approval of the Azorean Private Media Incentive Scheme (SIM) at the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, in Horta, which will strengthen the "diversity" of Azorean democracy.

"This is about the dissemination of essential information for our citizenship. The information is subject to deontological and ethical principles. It is regulated," he stated at the presentation of the Regional Legislative Decree.

Praising the contributions made in the sector and also in the parliamentary speciality, Paulo Estêvão recalled that this is one of the axes of the Regional Government's plan for the private media: SIM is joined by a training programme for journalists, a programme for subscribing to regional newspapers, an institutional advertising component and the full application of the National Plan to support the sector in the Region.

"Without considering the national support that can be raised, the Plan has an appropriation of two million Euros. It is a solid plan, capable of turning the situation around," he said.

Recalling that "while it is true that there is no democracy without the media," there are also no "journalists without the media to publish their news and pay their salaries," Paulo Estêvão pointed out that "support for the media is fair and fundamental in terms of appropriations" and "in preserving democracy, the greatest of human creations."

"It is necessary because, without support, information diversity will disappear in the Region. Currently,  RTP Açores has almost as many employees as all the private media combined and receives 88% of state and regional funding. Collectively, the private media only receive 12% of the funds allocated to the media in the Azores. In this new world, overwhelmed by the public media and all the new publications with non-journalistic content, which masquerade as such, private media outlets are on the verge of extinction if nothing is done," he emphasised.