Imprensa, propaganda e política: o jornal Folha do Povo como meio de consolidação do PTB em Erechim/RS (1947 e 1950)

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the newspaper Folha do Povo, which was published in the city of Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul, in 1947 and 1950, as a tool for political propaganda in support of the Brazilian Labour Party (PTB) during the 1947 municipal elections and the 1950 presidential elections. Its 13 issues, preserved in the collection of the Juarez Miguel Illa Font Municipal Historical Archive and hitherto unstudied in local historiography, reveal the newspaper’s editorial strategy, its links with ZYF 7 Rádio Erechim and local ethnic associations, and the role of local Labour Party figures, such as Henrique Pagnoncelli and João Caruso, in the newspaper’s coverage. Drawing on Jürgen Habermas’s concept of the public sphere, this study analyses Folha do Povo not as a space for debate, but as one for the representation of particular interests. Taking into account the results of both elections, it is concluded that the newspaper not only publicised the PTB and the labour movement’s agenda, but also contributed to the consolidation of the party locally by bridging the public and private sectors.