The time of responsibility

"A task, or rather a mission": this is how Pope Francis defined the work of a journalist in 2018, when he received a delegation from the Italian Periodic Press Union and the Italian Federation of Catholic Weeklies (FISC) at the Vatican.
For Francis, it is a question of "offering everyone a version of the facts as close to reality as possible", an operation which is fundamental for the construction of a democratic society in which all citizens can actively and responsibly contribute to the common good, that is to say, to the good of each and every one.

The journalist who defines himself as a Catholic experiences this professional aspect also as a form of evangelization, not in the sense of altering the story to please the hierarchy or particular interests, concealing the negative aspects or misrepresenting the substantial reality of the facts.
Five years have passed and the role of information as a pillar of democracy is increasingly on the agenda also for the debate for the 60th anniversary of the professional Order. But so is the comparison whether this is still a job for young people.
Recently Father Giuseppe Riggio, ecclesiastical consultant of the UCSI and director of Social Updates wrote an interesting comment on Desk (the in-depth magazine of the Italian Catholic Press Union), in which he highlights that «in the current information system, it is very strong the demand for a constant and real-time update of the news flow.

We are forced to chase the latest news, the one that dominates all the others, very often without having the time to verify it, retrace its history, frame it in its context, offer a reasoned reading. The pressing pace of the news thus ends up sliding towards the homologation of the topics addressed and the way in which they are treated. Another aspect is added to this aspect: within the newsrooms the time that can be dedicated to comparison, discussion, to choose the topics to be explored beyond those that appear on the front page is reduced - sometimes almost disappears.

Also in this case, the lack of time and the absence of an exchange inevitably have repercussions on what one chooses to communicate and the reading that is offered. In this way, precisely in the editorial offices, in the places where the news is "cooked", the possibility of offering a quality service, accurate and plural in its expressions, is lost.
Today's methods of information weigh on this situation, as does the decrease in the economic resources available in the sector, which leads to the downsizing of the editorial offices".

Father Riggio in a few lines highlighted some of the "evils" that afflict the profession/mission of journalists today: haste and the economic crisis that heavily affects the publishing sector. A rush, however, that does not only affect insiders, the reader increasingly relies on social networks and sites by quickly scrolling through the titles more than the contents and the idea is spreading that information must be free.
The radical change in the world of information in a delicate balance between print and digital, between social media and radio-TV, which we are experiencing does not only concern insiders, but each citizen. The time has come for accountability.

The responsibility of those who sign a piece of news, which must be verified and investigated, but also the responsibility of everyone to inform themselves from serious and authoritative sources. Journalists who want to save the profession are called, in some way, to become their own publishers and to build a new solid pact with their readers. It is not easy, but the moment can be propitious. There is a need for a real and profound paradigm shift in the narrative of reality and it is a need felt throughout Europe.

Responsibility was also the keyword of a recent debate in Turin promoted on the occasion of the feast of San Francesco di Sales (patron saint of journalists), by UCSI Piemonte with the FISC. A training opportunity to explore the difficulties and pitfalls of journalism, but also the passion for one of the most beautiful professions in the world. Training new generations of journalists is essential to guarantee a future for information capable of being the lungs of democratic society. But it is equally true that, for this to happen, the same information must give dignity, work (paid) and therefore a future to young people.

If this does not happen, the survival of journalism will truly be an impossible mission and the winner will be fake news disseminated for special interests, thus seriously jeopardizing our democratic system. The good news is that meetings, debates and reflections on journalism are on the rise.
And it's not just a lament, even if still as small shoots, proposals, new styles, the will to face change with professionalism are flourishing. In a continuous training that should never abandon those who play such a delicate role as that of giving a voice, after having listened.

Chiara Genisio
NP March 2023