People first

If there is a motto that guides Giammarco Sicuro's work, it is this: "People first".
The rule that has always guided him in these years as a front-line correspondent. From Afghanistan to Ukraine, from Latin America to South Korea: themes, contexts, situations change. But not that look, the only one capable of making sense of the profession.
Sicuro has just turned 40 and has been a Rai journalist since 2008.
In recent times, he has been following the tragedy of the Ukrainian conflict in particular. "This war - he explains - has put the importance of being there back at the centre, of telling stories on the field to show those who are far away things that cannot be seen".

What does it mean to inform in a context of war?
Having the strength to put yourself at the level of poor people, trying to somehow absorb their pain, their suffering. This empathy is the only way to meet others, to tell and spread a message. This is why I believe that we must always start from the people who come before diplomacy and geopolitical analyses. War cannot be reduced to a great game of tanks, jets, numbers, numbers of soldiers and victims. My mission is to tell it even in its crudest and most human aspects, so as not to forget that Anna, Vladimir or anyone else in that situation actually represents all of us. They are people who until yesterday had a normal life like ours, very similar to ours.

For example?
Many life stories come to mind that could very well come from the province of Turin, or from Tuscany, from Rome, from anywhere in Europe. Stories that are always the same: the destroyed house, the house with the garage next door and a car set on fire by a missile.
Or empty houses because those who lived there are dead, run away, injured or who knows. And you start to think that maybe he had taken out a mortgage, invested his savings. Just think that until a short while ago a family might have lived there, with children and pets. All overwhelmed. Here, the telling of small stories gives a very clear idea of war.

Despite everything, there are those who continue to deny these facts. For many, even the testimony of those on the spot is not enough. This happened, for example, with the Russian crimes in Bucha. How do you explain this crisis of confidence?
These are inexplicable positions, also because we correspondents try to document as much as possible, with first-hand sources. Denialism is often artfully fueled on social media by accounts of dubious origin so you wonder if there is actually a political will or individual people behind it. Having said that, we have now fully entered what the Times defined as the post-truth era whereby even in the face of a truth that is certified by the facts, we still do not give credit. For example, this happened to me every time I documented the use of cluster bombs by Russia, prohibited by UN conventions. I have seen people die in front of me from these bombs. Yet, it wasn't enough.
At a certain point you either answer point by point, or you let it go and rely on those who still have faith in certified, professional, documented journalism.

How do you respond instead to the risk of addiction? There is a responsibility of those who inform but also of those who should be informed. What can be done to go beyond indifference?
To answer, we need a premise on the media system, especially in Italy. The tendency is to forget breaking news and big dramas very quickly. We immediately move on to what happens next. The digital age has speeded up processes and after three days even a serious fact already seems old to us. The result is that it becomes difficult to deepen or even get to the end of the storytelling. Once upon a time when there was a flood in which people died, we tended to follow that event up to the funeral of the victims. Today that is no longer the case.
For this reason we envoys very often try to force, to convince our superiors that it is necessary to continue dealing with certain issues.

When did this happen to you last?
An exemplary case is Afghanistan, a reality that we have forgotten. I went back six months after the arrival of the Taliban and it was not easy to convince my bosses. I don't blame them, unfortunately it is the system that has these rules. Now we only follow the news of the day and this is dangerous because we don't allow people to get a reasoned idea and reflect. To go beyond indifference, on the other hand, you really need to do this, break the mold. It is right to give due weight to things, to take care of what is happening, but also to give space to all the other stories that may emerge.
I understood that if the story follows the right strings, people follow you, they don't remain indifferent. In summary, we need to have a more rational management of the news.

Telling the pain, but also the hope. Where did you see her? How do you try to communicate it?
I have found a solution. In my reportages I always try to insert a light element, a fun fact, a smile that can give a delicate touch to the viewer's soul. Because even in dramatic situations such as conflict, there is always a moment for laughter, for hope.
I am reminded of an episode that took place in Bakhmut, a Ukrainian town under siege for months, massacred and destroyed. I remember four people cooking in their backyard under the bombs. I with the helmet on my head asking: But how do you stay here? Why don't you run away, but how do you live? A lady doesn't even answer me and looking at me she begins to sing a song by Celentano. I am dumbfounded and she continues with her entire repertoire, as if to say: you're Italian, so listen... This curtain gave me hope, it showed me people's ability to be resilient, to bear even the greatest drama and find the time for a laugh. This too is empathy, an opportunity to humanize, not to tell a tragedy in an aseptic way. People first…

The year of the alpaca

by Giammarco Sure

Gemma Editions, 2021

The book is the story of the long journey of those who find themselves, despite him, on the other side of the planet when the World Health Organization announces the start of the pandemic.

To read the first 20 pages of the book for free

By the editorial team
NP March 2023