Folha de S.Paulo

Lore & Background

Folha was founded on 19 February 1921 by a group of journalists led by Olival Costa and Pedro Cunha, under the name Folha da Noite. The company was involved in founding the Democratic Party, an opposition group. In 1929, Olival Costa mended his fences with the São Paulo Republicans.

In October 1930, after a revolution, Folha's premises were destroyed, and Costa sold the company to Octaviano Alves de Lima. Alves de Lima's initial goal was defending rural landowners. The newspaper opposed Vargas' dictatorship. In 1945, ownership changed to João Nabantino Ramos, Clóvis Queiroga, and Alcides Ribeiro Meirelles.

In 1960, the three newspapers were merged under the title Folha de S.Paulo. On 13 August 1962, the company was sold to Octavio Frias de Oliveira and Carlos Caldeira Filho. In 1964, Folha supported the coup that overthrew President João Goulart.

Reader's Guide

Folha de S.Paulo is the centerpiece for Grupo Folha, a conglomerate that also controls UOL, Datafolha, Publifolha, Três Estrelas, Plural, and, in a joint-venture with the Globo group, the business daily Valor. It has targeted different audiences such as urban middle classes, rural landowners, and civil society, but political independence has always been one of its editorial cornerstones.

Ever since 1986, Folha has had the biggest circulation among the largest Brazilian newspapers. In company with O Globo, Folha is regarded as a newspaper of record in Brazil. Among daily newspapers, Folha has the news website with the largest number of visitors.

Did You Know?

• The newspaper's first issue featured a cover with the headline 'Folha da Noite'.
• In 1925, Folha da Manhã premiered the cartoon character Juca Pato, drawn by Belmonte.
• Folha became the first Latin-American newspaper to adopt the offset printing system in 1968.
• In January 2010, circulation was 279,000 copies on weekdays and 329,000 on Sundays.