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 selfcensorship
imposed by the editor on himself, in both events
