Franklin de Sousa Martins (born August 10, 1948, in Vitória) is a Brazilian journalist who previously served as the Press Secretary for the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil.
Martins began his journalism career at the age of 15 as an intern at the pro-Vargas newspaper Última Hora. While studying Economical Sciences at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, he became a prominent student leader, serving as chairman of the Student's Executive (DCE) and later as vice-chairman of the Metropolitan Union of Students in Rio de Janeiro. During this time, Martins associated with fellow student leader José Dirceu, a founding member of the Workers Party.
In his youth, Martins was involved in armed struggle and urban guerrilla activities following the 1964 coup d'état in Brazil. As a member of the communist group MR-8, he went by the codename Valdir. Martins engaged in acts such as bank robberies, assaults on police and military, and the kidnapping of the US ambassador Charles Burke Elbrick in 1969. He spent time in prison between October and December 1968, and despite the general amnesty in Brazil in 1979, Martins is still denied entry into the United States due to his participation in the kidnapping.
After living in Cuba, Chile, and France, where he graduated from the École de Sciences Sociales of the University of Paris, Martins returned to Brazil in 1979 after the general amnesty. Interestingly, he joined Globo TV network, known for supporting the military regime, working as a political commentator until his sudden dismissal in May 2006 by the news director, Ali Kamel.
Following a brief stint at the rival Bandeirantes network, Martins was appointed by President Lula to head the Department of Social Communication, a ministry-rank post equivalent to Press Secretary. In this role, he played a key role in the establishment of TV Brasil, the nation's first public TV network (formally state-owned).
