Propaganda y fuentes de información en la prensa periódica de la América hispana durante las guerras del siglo XVIII

Abstract

This paper analyzes the periodic press of Hispanic America of the 18th centuryas informative instrument and propaganda vehicle during the warlike processes. With thisaim an overview of the geographical distribution of these print media is exposed and,subsequently, the journalistic sources used for the diffusion of the news in wartime are studied:the European gazettes, the official Spanish press, the ships of notices, the so-called papeletas,the letters of political authorities or individuals, and others. Likewise, the employment of theAmerican newspapers in the propaganda strategies of the Hispanic Monarchy in the periodsof armed clashes is revealed; not uselessly, they helped to spread messages adapted to theHispanic mentality and were elaborated by the political power, at the time that they wereused as complementary resources of the logistics of the Army in the soldiers’ recruitment,the collection of donativos for the military operations, the “psychological warfare” and theimplication of the civil population in the defence of the territories of the Crown.