Roles played by institutional media and independent journalism amongst the Nepali diaspora living in Spain & Portugal

I detail the main roles played by the so-called “ethnic media”, institutional media and independent journalism for the nepali diaspora in the iberian peninsula, together with media/IT effects on their attitudes, perceptions or understandings about mobility and on their integration, migration or re-migration plans, as well as forced stillness. This is a qualitative research, combining participant observation, the field diary and ethnographic method with online media ethnography and semi-structured interviews with 20 nepali migrants living in Spain and Portugal, as well as informations collected from 50 online questionnaires to nepali migrants during the Autumn of 2020 lockdown. I describe, in detail, the importance of media initiatives for this diaspora, its integration and homeland connection. Institutional and independent journalism, IT and new platforms are also changing the ways how nepali migrants and their receiving communities in Europe experience and respond to mobility – with corresponding ethical and practical implications. Furthermore, I draw conclusions on how nepali migrants contribute to, challenge and reshape both media messages’ content and their delivery forms. Finally, I analyze media platforms associated with decision-making and communication of all kinds among this diaspora – personal, social, news, as well as employment, documentation or public health informations.