There is a point where the work of the journalist and that of the judiciary inevitably meet: that of information, sources, trust.
But right there a question arises: “How free can someone who, in order to talk about power, have to build relationships with those who exercise that power be?”.
The discussion on “Justice and Constitution”, promoted in Lipari by the Aeolian Study Center, started from this reflection, with the president of the national magistrates association, Giuseppe Tango and the director of the Gazzetta del Sud Nino Rizzo Nervo, who highlighted the value of the relationship of trust between journalist and source.
For those who tell judicial news, knowing the people who work in courthouses is often essential. But trust cannot become dependence: «The journalist must maintain the necessary distance to verify the information and maintain his autonomy», explained Rizzo Nervo. However, judicial communication increasingly passes through press releases and press conferences, while the journalist must investigate, verify and reconstruct; if information becomes too difficult to obtain, the risk is that the protection of confidentiality will produce the opposite effect, leaving room for incomplete reconstructions and suspicions.
The full article is available in the print and digital editions
