O jornalismo e a intelligentsia portuguesa nos finais da Monarquia Constitucional

In the monarchist Portugal of the last decades of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the press became the major instrument for reshaping the social and cultural structure of the nation. Journalists were therefore promoted to be the major agents and speakers of a new country, in which the general public was called upon to display larger civic awareness and participation levels. While the public sphere and public opinion underwent a broadening process, the role of the press and papers in guiding political and everyday life became a topic of ever-growing discussion among the intelligentsia covering the utility, advantages, failures and dangers of journalism. The purpose of this text is to explore the facets of that reflection, ranging from enthusiasm to scepticism, revealing some of the conjunctural hopes and structural chokepoints of late 19th century Portugal.