Pressmen, chapter 4

When journalists meet Italy

«Why don't you write in English»? The question mark is about a media having journalists in Brussels without producing any new in any "conventional" language spoken abroad. Well, when the press world act in Brussels in order to cover the EU institutions, could it be possible acting only on the own proper language? If we are talking about the Italian section of the press world the answer will be affirmative. «Why don't you write in English?» it would just one of the first reactions from the audience when Italy meets journalism. A lot has been said about journalism, and not just a few words have been spent for the magic of the senselessland. But there is no end to intelligence. Of course writing and working in a language different from the own one is not something easy; of course having translators is a cost, sometimes not sustainable for all; of course the main audience for every media is the national one. But despite all that, working in the heart of Europe and not investing in Europe is something difficult to explain to external people.
«You are based in Brussels»
«Yes»
«And you write about the European institutions»
«Yes»
«And you have no an English section??»
«Ehm... No»
«Why?»
Eh. This is the typical conversation you could experience abroad, and "why" is terribly a very good question, since it is not an easy one to deal with. Journalists are not the ones responsible for the policy media, thus "why" is something to be left to directors. But it would be useless.

First of all never say anything to a journalist. Nobody is ready to accept any critic, journalists even less. No way: once a decision is taken it will be forever. Journalist have the power of truth, the power of the absolute knowledge. And than, please, keep in mind what the pressmen commandments affirm: 1) «Thou shalt have no other gods before a journalist», so any decision, declaration, article, opinion from any journalist is law; 2) «What is written is written. Thou shalt have no other truth before what a journalist wrote». The same is for what is not written: Thou shalt have no other truth before what a journalist said. Secondly, for a very simple and natural human trait nobody is ready to accept any critic, and journalists even less. No way: once a decision is taken it will be forever. The add a little touch of "made in Italy": put a long range perspective, the brightest open minded ever, and you will have people interested only and exclusively to Italy. Italy is Europe, isn't it? Well, Italy is part of the world. So does it mean Italians have to be focused on the world and foreign affairs? It sound good, nothing to say. Then it can happen to write something really good, something really interesting, something near to a scoop, but written only in Italian. There the directors come asking «how to make it readable for all the other?» «In English, maybe?» But he will be never admit somebody else is right, because it would mean he's wrong. So everything will continue as "business as usual" and, if there is some special need, go to Google translate because "in competence we trust". Does it make any sense? Perhaps not. But ask ourselves if be Italian or be a journalist nowadays has a sense.