This newspaper printed its news like money to make a point about the value of its journalism

Newspapers around the world have been stepping up their efforts to highlight the value of verified reporting in an era of fake news, from the New York Times' The Truth campaign (which we just explored in a special Ad Age mini-documentary) to the Washington Post's Democracy Dies in Darkness. 

The most recent campaign comes from Brazil, where Latin America's biggest newspaper, Folha de Sao Paulo, is fighting a slew of misinformation from President Bolsonaro's government, on topics from coronavirus to who's responsible for the decimation of Amazon rainforests.

The project from agency Africa is designed to make a point about the value of the paper's journalism. It involved printing a special edition of Folha de Sao Paulo using the same technology used for printing money.  Working with Brazil's mint, the print process followed the all official criteria such as security paper, a watermark with light and dark tones, elements visible to ultra-violet light, fluorescent fibers, exclusive holographs, microlettering, microprints, micro-perforated numbering and tactile printing.

The special ten-page edition has been distributed to selected subscribers since the end of last year, and the imagery has also featured in an outdoor campaign by the newspaper running in bus shelters around Sao Paulo.