Human Rights and Consership in the Portuguese Press

Abstract

This article analyzes the censorship system existing in Portugal in the XVIII century, when a rigid jurisdiction with respect to press freedom was instituted by Portuguese State and how “Gazeta de Lisboa” succeeded in informing its public about the revolutionary events that took place in France during the year of 1789. Many years after that, in 1948, other important event – the Universal Declaration of Human Rights approved by the United Nations General Assembly, did not receive the attention of Portuguese Press. Of the 15 newspapers and magazines with wider circulation that were consulted, only three published the news of the approval. Also I did not fi nd in any of the archives documents which proved the exercising of censorship or punishment, by the dictatorial regime of Salazar, in the form of disciplinary processes against the newspapers with relation to the publication of news referring to the Declaration. I am inclined toward the theory of the act of self-censorship imposed by the editor on himself, in both events.