The Brazilian press, from São Paulo to Brasília

In Brazil, news is read in Portuguese in Folha de S.Paulo, O Globo and O Estado de S. Paulo, on portals such as UOL and G1, in a strong regional press and through Agência Brasil, with plenty of free content online.

From the London-printed Correio Braziliense to the big dailies

Brazil's first newspaper, Hipólito da Costa's Correio Braziliense, was printed in London from 1808 to escape Portuguese censorship. O Estado de S. Paulo was born in 1875, Folha de S.Paulo in 1921 and O Globo in Rio in 1925.

Folha, Estadão and O Globo: editorial lines

Folha de S.Paulo claims a pluralist brand of journalism that is critical of every government. Estadão is seen as more conservative and economically liberal, while O Globo, part of Rio's Globo group, targets a broad readership with a centrist line.

Why is Portuguese enough almost everywhere in Brazil?

Nearly all Brazilian media publish in Brazilian Portuguese, whose vocabulary and spelling sometimes differ from European Portuguese. Readers used to the Portuguese press adapt quickly, and a few sites also offer newsletters in English for international audiences.

Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba: the weight of the regions

In a country of 27 federal units, the regional press is powerful: Zero Hora in Porto Alegre, Estado de Minas in Belo Horizonte, Gazeta do Povo in Curitiba, fully digital since 2017, and the Correio Braziliense founded in Brasília in 1960.

UOL, G1, Metrópoles and the new formats

The UOL and G1 portals, the latter owned by Globo, draw huge audiences, as does Metrópoles, launched in Brasília in 2015. Independent outlets such as Agência Pública and piauí, an investigative monthly, plus daily podcasts, broaden the online offer.

Agência Brasil and the EBC public company

Agência Brasil, part of Empresa Brasil de Comunicação, distributes reusable news stories and photos free of charge, often picked up by small sites. The big papers have their own agencies, such as Estadão Conteúdo, and use Reuters or AFP for international news.

TV Brasil and A Voz do Brasil

Public broadcaster TV Brasil and the EBC radio stations stream live online. A Voz do Brasil, an official radio programme created in the 1930s, is still mandatory on stations each evening, even though TV Globo clearly dominates television audiences.

Media for the Brazilian diaspora

Brazilians abroad, numerous in Portugal, the United States and Japan, have their own community papers. From French Guiana, next to Amapá, the French Guiana media also follow cross-border trade along the Oyapock and the life of Brazilians in Cayenne.

Valor Econômico, Lance! and Brazilian football

Valor Econômico, launched in 2000, is the leading daily for the São Paulo stock exchange, Central Bank interest rates and agribusiness. Football, from Flamengo to Corinthians, is covered by the Globo group's ge portal and by Lance!.

Journalism, violence and disinformation in Brazil

Local journalists, especially in small towns and in the Amazon, have been threatened or killed. The 2018 and 2022 election campaigns were also marked by disinformation on WhatsApp, which prompted rulings from the Superior Electoral Court.

Brazilian paywalls and reading in other languages

Folha, Estadão, O Globo and Valor work with a meter or subscriber-only articles, paid in reais. Correspondents for Paris-based media and RFI Brasil, a Portuguese-language service, help place Brasília in the context of the press of the Americas.

Checking a story that comes out of Brazil

The fact-checking agencies Lupa and Aos Fatos publish detailed checks of political statements. Always compare Folha and Estadão with a regional outlet, then consult official IBGE data for any economic or demographic figures before drawing conclusions.

Reading Brazilian news from a distance

1. Choose a major national daily, Folha de S.Paulo or O Globo, depending on whether you mostly follow São Paulo or Rio.
2. Add G1 or UOL for free breaking news, updated continuously throughout the day.
3. Check Agência Brasil for federal government announcements and official texts published in Brasília.
4. Follow a regional daily such as Zero Hora or Estado de Minas if a particular region interests you.
5. Sign up for the Lupa or Aos Fatos newsletters to spot rumours circulating on messaging apps.
6. Mind the time difference: Brasília is on UTC-3, but Amazonas and Acre run one to two hours behind.

Free access and subscriptions in Brazil

Practical pointers on the Brazilian press

• Language: Brazilian Portuguese
• Public agency: Agência Brasil, EBC group
• Public television: TV Brasil; private leader: TV Globo
• National dailies: Folha de S.Paulo, O Globo, Estadão
• Business daily: Valor Econômico
• Sport: ge and Lance!
• Subscription currency: Brazilian real (BRL)
• Time zones: UTC-3 in Brasília, down to UTC-5 in Acre

Reading traps with Brazilian media

• Trusting screenshots of fake Folha or O Globo articles shared on WhatsApp without checking the newspaper's official site.
• Confusing the Correio Braziliense of Brasília with the historic 1808 paper published in London under the same name.
• Mistaking opinion columns, which are very common in the Brazilian press, for factual news reporting.
• Resharing an old video of a flood or protest as if it were from this week, without checking the date.
• Using sites that get around the Estadão or Valor paywalls, which are often riddled with fraudulent ads.

Common questions about Brazilian newspapers