Names in the news in hand

Scribal news in Portugal, in the eighteenth century, are non-signed small-distribution news sheets. Is the creator of these sheets an author or a mere translator? Does his authorial quality dissolves in the workshop process, which, copy after copy, modifies the initial text? What is the status of this author who mentions himself only as his own character? In the case at hand, as in many others, the readers know the author's name, a decisive factor for the credibility and the status of the reported news. The article deals with the reference to the Count of Ericeira (1673-1743), both as the source of the news and as an object of interest in the narrative. The author's identification helps understand the political games played around information under the Ancien Regime.