How does the nation’s oldest Portuguese paper thrive and stay true to its values?
The face of Newark’s Ironbound has changed
NEWARK, NJ — For nearly a century, Luso Americano has survived wars, economic downturns, and pandemics. It has endured massive storms, floods, and heat waves, outlasting at least 15 U.S. presidents.
As the nation’s oldest and longest-running Portuguese-language publication, headquartered in the center of Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood, this biweekly newspaper has remained a consistent voice in Portuguese-speaking households.
Like many diaspora media outlets, the sustainability of Luso Americano relies heavily on the Portuguese community it serves. But the Portuguese population in the Ironbound — named for the railway tracks that mark its borders and once known for its vibrant brewery and metal factories — has diminished.
“I saw this coming, and it felt as if we had no choice. I knew we needed to adapt to these changes,” said António Matinho, publisher of Luso Americano.
At 89, Matinho — who emigrated to New Jersey in the 1950s — is one of the few Portuguese Americans in the area who has likely witnessed and lived through decades of the Ironbound’s transformation and history.”
In the mid-20th century, a significant influx of Portuguese immigrants moved to the United States, with many settling in the Ironbound district as their starting point in America. However, over the past 20 years, many immigrants have relocated with their families to surrounding suburbs, other parts of New Jersey, or even different states.
During this time, the Ironbound’s landscape has changed, with high-rise development replacing old buildings. The area has also seen an increase in diverse businesses and new waves of immigrants from Brazil, Central America, Asia, Africa, and other regions. And today, the Ironbound district is home to about 50,000 multiethnic 50,000 multiethnic residents, based on the latest Census data.
In response to these changing demographics, Luso Americano has expanded its coverage to include stories about Brazilians and communities from other Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, and Angola, said Matinho. This broader focus allows the Portuguese-language newspaper to reach beyond Portuguese Americans, helping to sustain its readership, retain subscribers, and attract new advertisers.
Maintaining the print tradition in a new era
According to Matinho, more than 20,000 households across the country subscribe to Luso Americano, which publishes both online and print editions every Wednesday and Friday.
The publication has a history of adapting to reach and serve its Portuguese readership in response to population shifts. For instance, Luso Americano once established a satellite office in California in the early 2000s to connect with the largest Portuguese American population there, said Matinho. However, with the rise of digital news access and improvements in mailing systems for subscribers, he eventually realized it was no longer necessary to maintain a physical presence on the West Coast.
As many news outlets transitioned to digital formats — and some stopped printing entirely — Matinho has remained committed to maintaining Luso Americano’s print edition, while also expanding its reach through an online version to engage younger Portuguese American readers.
Building on this dual strategy, the paper took another bold step in January of this year: launching a new media platform, an online television network.
“It took us over 10 months to put the pieces together,” said Matinho. The move comes at a risky time, as many media outlets across the state and country are shutting down or cutting staff. Still, the publisher believes the new venture will allow Luso Americano to produce more content and better serve the Portuguese-speaking community in New Jersey and nationwide.
“Our digital television viewership has shown a steady increase, thankfully. Over the years, I am proud to say that we have [evolved] from being a print publication only to becoming a multimedia facility,” Matinho said.
Tracing the roots of Luso Americano
Founded in 1928 by Vasco Jardim, Luso Americano means “Portuguese American.” The term “Luso” is a Latin prefix referring to Lusitania, the name of Portugal during the Roman Empire.
After immigrating to the United States from Madeira Island in 1920, Jardim studied graphic arts and began his journalism career, contributing to a Portuguese American newspaper, Diário de Notícias, in Fall River, Massachusetts.
In 1928, just before the Great Depression, the U.S. was already facing an economic recession. As a result, many textile factories in Fall River closed, leading to limited job opportunities and prompting some Portuguese immigrants — including Jardim and his family — to seek better prospects elsewhere.
At the time, Newark’s Ironbound district had a thriving Portuguese community, and a group of local businessmen convinced Jardim that the area needed a Portuguese-language newspaper. He moved to the Ironbound with his rotary printing press and thus Luso Americano was born.
“Vasco Jardim was my father-in-law,” Matinho said. “I learned a lot from him about how to run the newspaper.”
Although Matinho’s journey to America in pursuit of his dreams differs significantly from that of other Portuguese immigrants, serving the Portuguese American community has always been his passion. He has found that publishing a community paper is one of the most fulfilling ways to achieve this goal.
Reflecting on the publisher’s humble beginnings
Born in a small town near Fátima in central Portugal, António Matinho first came to America to visit his uncle, who immigrated in 1917.
“Our town was very religious,” he recalled. “Each year, we celebrate over there the miraculous appearance of the Virgin Mary.”
In 1958, after briefly working as a clerk in a grocery store and olive oil production, and after serving for two years in the Portuguese military, Matinho arrived in Long Branch, New Jersey, where his uncle, aunt, and sister lived.
“Our plane landed at JFK Airport. It was a Thursday. At first, I was taken aback because I saw so many open spaces,” he said. “I was expecting New York City to have high rises, not realizing that we were outside of the city.”
As they drove from the airport over a bridge, he saw this amazing city full of life. “I said to myself, ‘Boy, where on the earth am I?’ Everything was different from where I came from.”
Matinho had just turned 21 years old at the time, and he didn’t speak a word of English.
During his first week after arriving, Matinho’s uncle — a chef at New Jersey race tracks — took him to Manhattan to help him get familiar with the commute, as he would soon be attending school in New York.
He brought a pencil and a piece of paper to take notes on the directions and landmarks, the left and right turns, which train cars to board, where to get off at the train station, and so on, but it all proved futile during his first trip alone.
“When I arrived at the train station the following morning, ‘Oh, what a shock it was for me!’ The parking lot was filled with cars, and everything was different. I had to ask the Lord to ‘please help me’ because I was lost,” said Matinho.
Despite the challenges of acclimating and learning English, he persevered.
“My uncle didn’t want me to do anything at home but read English books, even if I struggled to understand what I was reading. He didn’t allow me to speak Portuguese at home. He said to me, ‘Learn the language and try your luck.’”
Matinho began his educational journey in the U.S. at the Institute of Foreign Language in Manhattan. After several months, he transferred to Newark Preparatory School on Broad Street. He later attended college and eventually earned his degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
“I was amazed by the thousands of Portuguese people living in Ironbound. There were so many social clubs that I felt like I had never left Portugal,” he recalled. It was in one of these Portuguese social clubs in Ironbound that he met his wife, Natalie, the daughter of Jardim.
After Jardim’s passing, Matinho, along with his wife and their second child, Paul, played a crucial role in continuing Luso Americano as a family-owned newspaper, ensuring it serves as a cornerstone of the Portuguese American community.
Building a new future as a multimedia publication
In 1998, the newspaper relocated a few blocks from its original site on Ferry Street to a building constructed in the 1950s on Union Street, just a short walk from Newark Penn Station. The building was once a loading dock for a metal factory, with the rest now converted into an apartment complex.
The three-story office, including the basement, resembles more of a museum that narrates a unique story about Portuguese American history, rather than a traditional newsroom.
In fact, when the newspaper moved to its current location, Matinho brought along old maple desks, cabinets, typewriters, Ludlow typograph machines, lead cast bars, and a collection of awards, recognition plaques, and photographs accumulated over its 97-year history.
Since January 2024, Luso Americano has had a new television studio that is situated on Market Street for editing, filming, and live streaming. The facilities are just a few yards from Iberia: a proposed residential project that would be the largest development in the history of Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood.
Luso Americano now has a steady roster of freelance contributors and 20 full-time staff members, including six who manage its television and live streaming news operations.
“We broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Saturdays, we have a special livestream edition, which serves as a weekly recap,” said Matinho.
While local journalism faces ongoing challenges, he believes the solutions lie with those who are resolute in their commitment to serving their community.
“Our future plan is to serve the community to the best of our ability, as clean-cut, honest, and human as possible. However, we need to keep moving forward; otherwise, we will fall behind,” Matinho stated. “I believe we will be here for many more years to come.”
Oni Advincula is the ethnic media coordinator at the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University. Contact him at advinculaa@montclair.edu.
About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a primarily grant-funded program of the College of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism and support an informed society in New Jersey and beyond. The Center is supported with funding from Montclair State University, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, the Independence Public Media Foundation, Rita Allen Foundation, Inasmuch Foundation, Google News Initiative, and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more information, visit centerforcooperativemedia.org.
