Açoriano Oriental

The "Açoriano Oriental" was founded on April 18, 1835, a period that represented a golden age for journalism both nationally and internationally. Its founder was Manuel António de Vasconcelos, born in Pilar da Bretanha, a figure whose political and journalistic roles were intertwined in a shared vocation for public and community service.

He was a liberal and a vigorous defender of his principles, and the founding of the new newspaper was clearly part of the political struggles taking place nationwide. It was a newspaper of struggle and debate, a pillar and vehicle for the most advanced constitutional principles, and, at the same time, a spokesperson for the main demands of the land and its people, as it has been since 1979.

Four months before the publication of “Açoriano Oriental”, the first law on freedom of the press had been enacted in Portugal, and Manuel António de Vasconcelos established in the first issue what would now be called the editorial statute and which can now be considered a notable piece of journalism, for its vigor and sobriety, compared to any modern editorial statute.

Over its more than 175 years of existence, "Açoriano Oriental" has undergone many vicissitudes and had various orientations, but has survived them all. It is worth remembering Manuel Ferreira de Almeida who, for thirty years and with great personal sacrifice, kept "Açoriano Oriental" in print until it was acquired by "Impraçor" in the mid-1960s, and on January 1, 1979, it became a daily newspaper.

In November 1996, Açoriano Oriental was integrated into the Açormedia company, formed by Impraçor's shareholders, joined by the Lusomundo Group, now called Controlinveste Media, which holds the majority of the capital. It maintains its editorial line of freedom, rigor, and political and economic impartiality, with the guiding principle of "the free administration of the Azores by the Azoreans" as its guiding principle, defending broad political and administrative autonomy.

This editorial line has, for years, ensured its prestigious status as a leading newspaper and a leading position in the Azorean daily press, honoring its prestigious title as the oldest Portuguese newspaper and one of the ten oldest worldwide in continuous and regular publication under the same name. This is also recognized by the State when, in 1989, it was granted the title of Honorary Member of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator.