In a time when the information runs fast, they cross boundaries and often escape any control, reflecting on the value of freedom of press and responsible information becomes an exercise of awareness and democratic resistance. It is in this setting that the conference “freedom of information in the era of post-political, between hypnocracy and disintermediation” took place yesterday morning in the Aula Magna of the University of Messina, as part of the GDS Academy of SES With a thick audience composed of students and students of the schools and the University.
The event was promoted for the sixth edition by Unime and Società Editrice Sud Gazzetta del Sud Giornale di Sicilia, together with the Alumnime Association, as part of the UNIME GDS LAB Journalism Laboratory, on the occasion of the International Press Freedom Day established in 1993 by the UN.
“Freedom of information is the pillar on which a democratic society is based: without free information there can be no conscious participation, nor autonomous public opinion” began the rector Unime Giovanna Spatari, underlining the collective responsibility to guarantee independence, quality and accessibility of information. The rector also brought greetings from President SES Lino Morgantehighlighting the important synergy with unime for the benefit of young people. Francesco renders, President of Alumnime, he reiterated the value of the annual thematic appointment, supported by others such as, for example, the International Day of Disability.
Rizzo Nervo: those “thin” pressures and the call to Mattarella
The director responsible for the South Gazzetta Nino Rizzo Nervo has outlined the frame of current affairs in which freedom of information takes on a critical meaning. “It is no coincidence – he reiterated – that the United Nations have set up a world day for press freedom, under constant threat. Also in Italy, where journalists are not imprisoned, however, we are witnessing thinner pressures “, such as economic ones, but also due to rules that make journalistic activity more difficult, such as the so -called” Bavaglio law “. The director also expressed alarm regarding the next entry into force of the Media Freedom Act, which aims to defend the independence of the EU media from political and economic interference, but for which the necessary transposition measures have not yet been implemented in Italy. Rizzo Nervo then recalled the words of President Mattarella, who repeatedly defended the freedom of the press.
Centorrino: return to responsible information
Prof. Marco Centorrino, professor of Sociology of Communication, analyzed the concept of “hypnocracy”, that is, that condition in which we are faced with representations of the reality so likely as to lead us not to doubt it, and of disappointment, explaining how the crisis of trust in traditional media has favored the spread of un verified content. “We thought that digital information self -management could emancipate us – he said – but we simply delegated mediation to algorithms. Returning to professional editorial information is today more than ever an act of responsibility “.
La Fauci: the executive orders of Trump and the freedom of expression
Erika La Fauci, a law of research in jurisprudence, deepened the American constitutional picture linked to the freedoms of expression and printing, also analyzing the system of counterweights and the impact of the many executive orders crossed in particular by the current Trump presidency.
Mannisi (ODG): a profession based on preparation and ethics
To close the conference was Concept Mannisi, the new president of the order of journalists of Sicily. “The guarantee of free and true information is based on the professionalism of journalists who have studied, they trained, they took an exam, they are inspired by ethics – he said – In Sicily we can count on newspapers linked to free publishing, but the phenomenon of improvisation through social media and the IA damages both the category and the citizens. Journalism is based on rules, training courses and exams: it must be respected and protected ».
To moderate the meeting was Natalia La Rosahead of the GDS Academy and the Lab together with Prof.ssa Maria Laura Giacobellowhich has favored a dynamic and intergenerational exchange between experts, students and students involved in the activities of the GDS Academy and the assigno we magazine. A moment of authentic comparison that has returned to information its truest face: that of a common good, to be cultivated with responsibility, competence and passion, especially in order to build an audience aware of the value of professional journalism.
Di Bella: those democratic banks that risk weakening
The guest of honor of the conference was the editorialist Antonio Di Bella, who – in connection – reflected on the relationship between communication, information and democracy, not without a reference to the news of the day, the election of Pope Leo XIV, capable of bringing together different souls inspiring new hope. Di Bella therefore explained how phenomena are being verified in the USA that could also affect our democracies, reporting the progressive weakening of important arguments such as judiciary and information with respect to executive power. Among the cases mentioned, he mentioned the expulsion of a journalist from the Associated Press from the press room of the White House by the Trump administration, for not having adopted the new name imposed on the Gulf of Mexico, “renamed” Gulf of America. An episode that, according to the journalist, is “a clear signal of attack on freedom of the press and the role of information as counter -feed”. The editorialist also mentioned media control through bodies such as the Federal Communications Commission, recalling the resignation of the historical producer of 60 Minutes, Bill Owens, who left the CBS program denouncing the impossibility of continuing with editorial independence. According to Bella, we are witnessing a limitation of the role of the judiciary and information in favor of an ever stronger executive, supported by the popular vote. He then mentioned a survey according to which 56% of young Italians under 30 would be favorable to a more efficient government even at the expense of democratic controls. “A worrying fact – he commented – because the inability of democracies to solve problems generates the desire for a strong man”. “It is not surprising to me – he concluded – that the United States, a country that has never known a dictatorship, are more inclined to enhance the power without controls, only to repent. It is necessary to supervise to avoid authoritarian drifts, remembering the value of historical memory and democratic principles ».