The Folha de S.Paulo newspaper celebrates its 105th anniversary on Thursday (19). Founded in 1921 as Folha da Noite by Olival Costa and colleagues, the outlet reaffirms its commitment to pluralistic and non-partisan journalism amid global challenges.
The Folha de S.Paulo completes 105 years on February 19, 2026. The newspaper was founded in 1921 by Olival Costa and five colleagues under the name Folha da Noite. Subsequently, the editions Folha da Manhã and Folha da Tarde emerged. In 1960, the three titles were unified as Folha de S.Paulo.
The celebration coincides with other professional journalism outlets reaching similar milestones, such as O Estado de S. Paulo with 150 years, O Globo with 100 years, UOL with 30 years in April, Valor Econômico with 25 years, and G1 with 20 years in September.
In an editorial, the Folha notes that professional journalism faces attacks from left to right, in Brazil and worldwide. Critics accuse outlets of 'doisladismo' or 'outroladismo' for reporting facts that should be ignored or giving voice to certain views. This stems from the resurgence of populist far-right movements, marked by Brexit, Donald Trump's election in 2016, and Jair Bolsonaro's victory in 2018.
The newspaper reaffirms its Editorial Project, which advocates pluralism, criticism, and non-partisanship. Coverage should be guided by public interest and facts, not ideologies, allowing critiques or support based on evidence. In an election year, it stresses precise information so voters can decide independently.
On modernization, the Folha pioneered color offset printing in the 1960s, was the first in Latin America to replace typewriters with computers in the 1980s, and launched the first real-time news website in 1995. Today, it views artificial intelligence as a tool that frees journalists to focus on exclusive reporting and original columns, while advocating that AI companies pay for proprietary content.
