The Press and Latin American Dictatorships: <i>O Estado de S. Paulo, Clarín</i>, and the 1964 Brazilian and 1976 Argentine Military Coups

Abstract This article focuses on the relationship between the traditional press and the military dictatorships of Brazil and Argentina. Using a combination of comparative and connected history approaches, I analyze the newspapers O Estado de S. Paulo and Clarín, supporters of the 1964 coup in Brazil and the 1976 coup in Argentina respectively. I analyze the newspapers’ attitudes toward their country's dictatorship, including their stances on the repression of leftist forces, state censorship, economic policies, and demands for liberalization. The article concludes that the newspapers’ initial enthusiasm for the respective dictatorships cooled, and that the divergences and criticisms that emerged in each paper had distinct motivations: Clarín was more critical of the Argentine military's economic policy, while O Estado de S. Paulo disagreed with some of the political agenda pursued by the Brazilian military. Even so, both newspapers continued to support their country's dictatorships up to the moment when the regimes were engulfed in severe political and economic crises.