O Estado de S. Paulo

O Estado de S. Paulo is the third largest newspaper in paid circulation among oulets of national distribution. In 2016 it reached an average daily circulation of 216,271 copies, which amounts to 6.46% of the market. It is thus, in terms of circulation, only behind Folha de S. Paulo and O Globo, both of nationwide distribution, and Super Notícia, distributed in Minas Gerais.

In 2012 the newspaper started incorporating the reformulated section of Jornal do Carro, which had circulated until then within Jornal da Tarde, which had its operations closed. The interruption of Jornal da Tarde, which had been circulating since 1966, was part of the group’s reorganization strategy. In a moment of continuous decline in large Brazilian newspapers’ circulation, the group had decided to centralize their investments around print media in their largest vehicle, O Estado de S. Paulo.

O Estado de S. Paulo backed the military coup of March 31st, 1964, which deposed the elected president João Goulart, but then reconsidered this support when it realized that the military would hold onto power, and were no longer willing to let it go. The newspaper then became a target for censorship. On December 13th, 1968, for example, just before the imposition of the AI-5 (Institutional Act #5, which installed a censorship and assembly ban in the country), copies of O Estado de S. Paulo were confiscated.

In June, 1981, during the last stages of the military dictatorship, the newspaper exposed the corruption involved in the construction of the Quatro Rodas Hotels in the Northeast region. According to the articles, the BNH (National Housing Bank) had granted funds in an amount of two hundred million Cruzeiros for the construction of hotels. Some of these enterprises, however, did not start operating and others were not even built. According to O Estado de S. Paulo, Grupo Abril kept 36.5% of the total amount.

O Estado de S. Paulo is controlled by the Mesquita family since 1902, when Júlio Mesquita became its sole owner. He had been the newspaper’s editor since 1885 and one of its 16 founders. The current owners are the fourth generation of the family in charge of the business.