Who are the contemporary activists represented on Portuguese TV news and what are they fighting for?

The digital environment has brought new forms of activism, but television remains the privileged mean to access information for most citizens in Portugal and Europe. In this study we analyze the TV news reports that journalists identify as being about “activists” and “activism” aired on the four Portuguese free-to-air channels in 2017. By measuring which issues were given the most extensive coverage, it was possible to conclude that television news gives more airtime to international news related to political and human rights issues. In which concerns national level initiatives, more coverage is given to activist initiatives that result from movements organized in time and space. The action of activist groups that practice violent acts is not highlighted in the news. The results allow a reflection on the role of television for certain groups to be publicly positioned with legitimacy, in a time of adaptation to media convergence and technological transformation.