Communism, the Left and the Family in Folha Universal in the 2022 election year

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present an analysis about the “Folha Universal” newspaper distributed by “Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (IURD)” - available in printed and online versions – released between January and October (2022). The focus of this analysis is the newspaper’s political positioning with reference to the agenda linked with communism themes, left-wing politics and family; which were once fundamental themes in 2018 Brazilian national elections. The study focused mainly on the newspaper’s editorial and “Panorama”, enhancing the moral guidelines and foment aligned with Jair Bolsonaro’s political position. It  defends the Christian traditional family and struggles against so-called “genre ideology”. Under the religious rhetoric, this institution made an effort to produce a left-wing “diabolical” image – diametrically opposite the self-called “Christian right-wing” -, and disseminated alerts about the “risk” of an instauration of a communism system if Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and “Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT)” – Labour Party -  returned to presidential chair. Thus, the moral panic was instrumentalized and spread by IURD, through the “Folha Universal”, to urge your worshippers.