The mass media in Peru includes a variety of different types of media, including television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, and Internet-based web sites. Much of the print-based media in Peru is over a century old, with some newspapers even dating back to the time of independence. Peru's media organizations control the public sphere, with wealthy families controlling much of the media and influencing decisions in the nation to serve their economic interests. The mainstream media in Peru is typically economically and politically conservative. Since the 2020s, previously reputable mainstream outlets began to spread pseudoscience regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and political disinformation, resulting with increased political polarization. Trusted media has turned towards independent media websites that have assumed the investigative journalism in the nation. History Since the intense periods of internal conflict in Peru in the 1980s and 1990s, the government, military, and media in Peru described any individual who was left on the political spectrum as being a threat to the nation, with many students, professors, union members, and peasants being jailed or killed for their political beliefs. In response to President Martin Vizcarra's actions to dissolve Congress in 2019, the media in Peru began a fearmongering campaign, arguing that left-wing political candidates would be elected in the 2020 Peruvian parliamentary election and attempt to draft a new constitution. Into the 2020s, mainstream private media began to lose its reputation due to its use of disinformation, especially during the 2021 Peruvian general election. For the first round of elections, Peruvian media focused attacks against center-left candidate Veronika Mendoza. The media's attacks resulted with support moving from Mendoza to Pedro Castillo, who was further left on the political spectrum. In the second round of elections, Peru's major media networks were described as aligning with Keiko Fujimori to discredit Castillo. Some news media allegedly disseminated fake news against Castillo while also creating a positive image of Fujimori. Despite media attacks against Castillo, he would win the presidency. Types Newspapers The oldest newspaper in Peru is El Peruano, which was founded by Simón Bolívar on October 22, 1825. El Peruano acts as the official newspaper of record, and all laws passed in Peru must be published in the daily. Despite El Peruano'''s official status, it does not have the largest circulation among Peruvian dailies. Lima-based El Comercio, founded on May 7, 1839, is one of the most important Peruvian newspapers. It is also