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| Italian media have forsaken foreign reporting to focus on titillating gossip | Italian media have forsaken foreign reporting to focus on titillating gossip |
| (7 months later) | |
| Giovanna Loccatelli is a freelance Italian journalist based in Cairo who is concerned about the parlous state of journalism in her home country. She has written for several newspapers, including The Observer and La Repubblica, and is the author of Twitter e le rivoluzioni on the role of social networks in the 2011 uprisings in north Africa. I am delighted to carry this article by her... | Giovanna Loccatelli is a freelance Italian journalist based in Cairo who is concerned about the parlous state of journalism in her home country. She has written for several newspapers, including The Observer and La Repubblica, and is the author of Twitter e le rivoluzioni on the role of social networks in the 2011 uprisings in north Africa. I am delighted to carry this article by her... |
| Italians, whose civilisation once transformed the world, now stare inward. The fault lies with an Italian media that has forsaken foreign reporting to focus on the titillating gossip of Italian politicians, celebrities and sports stars. | Italians, whose civilisation once transformed the world, now stare inward. The fault lies with an Italian media that has forsaken foreign reporting to focus on the titillating gossip of Italian politicians, celebrities and sports stars. |
| The problem isn't unique: news and entertainment have fought each other on the airwaves and in print for generations in every media market. But in Italy, big-business media acquisitions - particularly under the guidance of media mogul and disgraced former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi - have concentrated the powers of mass distraction into the hands of a very few. | |
| Ask an Italian what is going on outside the country's borders and you'll hear little in the way of solid information, analysis or nuance. The received wisdom is that newspapers are working from an antiquated payment model that is contributing to the industry's decline. But this reality belies the rosy state of journalism writ large: despite the decline of the newspaper industry, we live in a golden age of news consumption. | |
| Thanks to an army of quality journalists throughout the world, readers have greater access than ever to a wide variety of sources in multiple languages. | Thanks to an army of quality journalists throughout the world, readers have greater access than ever to a wide variety of sources in multiple languages. |
| The problem begins and ends with the media conglomerates to whom these reporters answer. Who are the new foreign correspondents for the Italian daily newspapers nowadays? | The problem begins and ends with the media conglomerates to whom these reporters answer. Who are the new foreign correspondents for the Italian daily newspapers nowadays? |
| In practice, correspondents are freelancers who live abroad. They are a team of people who have chosen this profession out of passion and devotion, not because they were chosen by editors. | In practice, correspondents are freelancers who live abroad. They are a team of people who have chosen this profession out of passion and devotion, not because they were chosen by editors. |
| These are the same feelings that inspire me when I do this job: I have lived in Cairo for a year, but I have followed all the political and social developments on the ground in Egypt since the January 2011 revolution. | These are the same feelings that inspire me when I do this job: I have lived in Cairo for a year, but I have followed all the political and social developments on the ground in Egypt since the January 2011 revolution. |
| Yet regardless of the rapid changes in the delivery of news, the difficulties in dealing with the Italian news market remain the same. It is a static, cynical system that pays little heed to fast-moving events on the ground. | Yet regardless of the rapid changes in the delivery of news, the difficulties in dealing with the Italian news market remain the same. It is a static, cynical system that pays little heed to fast-moving events on the ground. |
| As a news-gathering strategy, it seems to have resigned itself to its inadequacy, unable to take advantage of either ongoing news events or the surplus of talented freelancers already in the field. | As a news-gathering strategy, it seems to have resigned itself to its inadequacy, unable to take advantage of either ongoing news events or the surplus of talented freelancers already in the field. |
| I have come to realise the great distance between myself and correspondents working for the non-Italian media. And not because many foreign correspondents have full-time newspaper jobs, but because most international media assign importance to foreign policy issues, while Italian media does not. | I have come to realise the great distance between myself and correspondents working for the non-Italian media. And not because many foreign correspondents have full-time newspaper jobs, but because most international media assign importance to foreign policy issues, while Italian media does not. |
| 'A nation led by a calcified, elderly élite...' | 'A nation led by a calcified, elderly élite...' |
| Italy has become a nation led by a calcified, elderly élite. Italian newspaper correspondents are almost all at, or near, retirement age. The real problem is that while many have already retired, they still continue to write. | Italy has become a nation led by a calcified, elderly élite. Italian newspaper correspondents are almost all at, or near, retirement age. The real problem is that while many have already retired, they still continue to write. |
| Though I don't mean to describe the future of the Italian media as purely a question of age, I find it difficult not to wonder about my future as a journalist. In a country like Italy where a 40-year-old is considered a rookie, professional development is a real challenge. | Though I don't mean to describe the future of the Italian media as purely a question of age, I find it difficult not to wonder about my future as a journalist. In a country like Italy where a 40-year-old is considered a rookie, professional development is a real challenge. |
| While I try to be efficient, I get very discouraging signals from my newsroom. Among the dismissive platitudes I've heard many times from editors: "It's useless to commit yourself too much, readers are not interested in foreign policy" or "We don't need anyone in Cairo. We already have a journalist covering Egypt from the newsroom here in Rome." | While I try to be efficient, I get very discouraging signals from my newsroom. Among the dismissive platitudes I've heard many times from editors: "It's useless to commit yourself too much, readers are not interested in foreign policy" or "We don't need anyone in Cairo. We already have a journalist covering Egypt from the newsroom here in Rome." |
| I also hear: "We can translate the article of international publications, we do not need people on the ground." Perhaps the most telling: "If you're not already rich, you shouldn't be doing this job." These answers reveal a deep crisis in Italian journalism. My concerned colleagues tend to focus on the financial side of the problem and I totally agree with them. To be able to do this job with dignity, we must increase payment for freelance journalists that now borders on the ridiculous. | |
| It's not uncommon for big Italian newspapers to pay €40 for a hard-won article. But there are also problems related to the work itself, such as a total lack of interaction between the freelancers who are on the ground and editors who are in the newsroom. | It's not uncommon for big Italian newspapers to pay €40 for a hard-won article. But there are also problems related to the work itself, such as a total lack of interaction between the freelancers who are on the ground and editors who are in the newsroom. |
| I propose stories to newspapers every week: getting a "yes" or "no" is not enough to be able to grow in my job. I need an exchange of views, even if minimal. | I propose stories to newspapers every week: getting a "yes" or "no" is not enough to be able to grow in my job. I need an exchange of views, even if minimal. |
| Sometimes I'm even lucky to get a "yes" or "no". I can't be sure to receive a response. Such hesitant responses are very frustrating when you are following fast-moving, often dangerous events on the ground. | Sometimes I'm even lucky to get a "yes" or "no". I can't be sure to receive a response. Such hesitant responses are very frustrating when you are following fast-moving, often dangerous events on the ground. |
| Cultural trends often illuminate complex political issues | Cultural trends often illuminate complex political issues |
| Moreover, living in another country gives me the opportunity not only to cover breaking news, but to write about interesting trends that often go overlooked by those who live elsewhere. Such cultural trends can often illuminate far more complex political issues. | Moreover, living in another country gives me the opportunity not only to cover breaking news, but to write about interesting trends that often go overlooked by those who live elsewhere. Such cultural trends can often illuminate far more complex political issues. |
| In December I wrote an article - published in The Observer - about a new Egyptian music fad raging in the slums of Cairo, called Mahraganat, in which young people convey political and social messages through hip-hop. | In December I wrote an article - published in The Observer - about a new Egyptian music fad raging in the slums of Cairo, called Mahraganat, in which young people convey political and social messages through hip-hop. |
| These are the some youth who have upended two Egyptian regimes by thronging Tahrir Square. Their important stories are simply not considered by the Italian press. If a dramatic event occurs in Cairo, all online newspapers - like Repubblica and Corriere - write exactly the same information: the number of deaths and injured and two or three statements from prominent political figures that ignore essential context. | |
| It is very likely that a reader who is curious or interested in learning more will go to non Italian-media sites that offer better coverage of Middle East issues. Italian newspapers have no correspondents based in Cairo and they just don't care about what happens outside of Italy. | It is very likely that a reader who is curious or interested in learning more will go to non Italian-media sites that offer better coverage of Middle East issues. Italian newspapers have no correspondents based in Cairo and they just don't care about what happens outside of Italy. |
| I'm sure that Italians are interested in reading more about foreign affairs. And I'm also sure that if readers lose interest in this subject, the fault is with the media itself. | I'm sure that Italians are interested in reading more about foreign affairs. And I'm also sure that if readers lose interest in this subject, the fault is with the media itself. |