Beltranianas Vol. VI

The compilation of the volumes of *Comunicação & Problemas* made available in this publication constitutes a historical and documentary collection of great value for communication studies today. The journal was the first scientific periodical to circulate in Brazil, from 1965 to 1969. According to Professor Rosa M. F. D. Nava, who defended her doctoral thesis on the publication in 2002, under the guidance of Professor Dr. José Marques de Melo, at the Methodist University of São Paulo, “*Comunicações & Problemas* was born as the official periodical for disseminating the ‘Embryo of Communication Sciences in Brazil’, ICINFORM (Institute of Information Sciences)”, created and organized by journalist Luiz Beltrão, “within the structure possible in our reality: a private religious educational institution: the Catholic University of Pernambuco”. The journal brought to the scientific community of the time the pioneering spirit of academic dialogue revealed in the possibility of scientific dissemination, encouraging reading and research in communication. It was inspired by the magazine Journalism Quarterly, which has been circulating since 1955.
The success of the first edition, published by Icinform and under the blessing of the rector of the Catholic University of Pernambuco, Father Aloísio Mosca de Carvalho, was celebrated by its editors. The number of subscribers, from the second edition onwards, reached 300, in addition to a considerable increase in the number of advertisements, an important achievement for a scientific journal.
The editions offered more than just academic studies. They were filled with reflections from the most renowned and experienced professionals in the field, especially journalists and scholars of national issues. It is also possible to find thematic sections on political journalism, radio journalism, morphological studies, content analysis, news reports on police events, among others. The publication has permanent sections, such as testimonials, journalistic events, regional issues, Icinform activities, topics of collective communication, especially of the Pernambuco press, reviews, etc.

Communication & Problems was an audacious project, conceived by Professor Beltrão, and it achieved more than just stimulating reading and disseminating communication issues, especially in the Northeast region of Brazil. Beltrão's prestige, Rosa Nava states in her doctoral thesis, "motivated students to embark on the paths of scientific research, continuing education, specialization, and teaching." Beltrão's work at CIESPAL (International Center for Journalism for Latin America), where he taught courses, also "guaranteed him international recognition, reaffirmed by the journal. In addition to receiving praise from important international researchers, he perhaps achieved his greatest goal: he had an impact on the national scene: Brasília, São Paulo, Ceará, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, among others, giving rise to numerous similar publications."
The content of all editions, as can be confirmed by the reader of this volume, which brings together the latest editions, allows for an understanding of the national scenarios experienced from the second decade of the 1960s onwards, especially those related to the field of communication. “Furthermore, it provides a way to understand the publication of this scientific journal as the basis for strengthening the teaching of journalism and communication at Brazilian universities,” as Rosa Nava states in her study. It is a substantial source of reference for understanding the “struggles that occur in the context of the birth and formation of Communication as a field of scientific study in the modern world, especially in Latin America,” assures the researcher. Therefore, in this compilation of material, we have an important basis for all those interested in communication studies, not only in their historical aspects, but also in the foundation of a field of research that is still struggling to be recognized as a science.

Institute of Information Sciences (ICINFORM)

Established on December 13, 1963, by Professor Luiz Beltrão at the Catholic University of Pernambuco (UNICAP), its basic purpose was the scientific investigation of collective information in journalism, advertising, and public relations. One of Beltrão's challenges was to encourage young students to engage in scientific research, combining the theoretical knowledge learned at university with the excellence of professional practice, aiming to overcome the structural difficulties experienced in the journalism course. Thus, the center also served as a focus for professional development, not only for students but also for faculty, in addition to promoting the dissemination of studies in the field of information science and exchanges with similar institutions, among other things.