Giuseppe De Tomaso
Let’s face. If it were the power, the newspapers should not exist. Or, at most, they should be transformed into as many Official Gazette. Some more, some less, almost all governments do not resist the temptation to reduce the freedom of information. The most unscrupulous make no secret of wanting to limit the freedom of the press in the name of personal dignity to be protected and privacy to be protected. The more moderate, however, try to impede the work of the newspapers by intervening directly or indirectly, on its financial statements. So much so that, in words, everyone recognizes the vital role of a free press, but in fact there are many who want to throw as much sand as possible in the gears sector. Luckily, this sector is in crisis, and therefore arouses understanding (only a voice, of course) of the class leaders. If not, who knows what traps escogiterebbe the power to “give away” hot potatoes to other publishing companies.
The latest idea to seat another painful blow to the newspaper is the decree in force since 83 26 June. The text, which concerns the changes to the Code of Civil Procedure, introduces this heavy news about the publication of the auction notices in the newspapers: the publication which, in the past, it was mandatory, it is now optional (by the court). Mind you. The decree does not provide for the privacy notices, since establishing the insertion of advertising information on the portal of the ministry in a public area called “portal of public sale.” But subtraction (unless a different action by the court), this important information service, the audience of the newspapers, certainly not conducive to the public interest.
Not to their nationals because, despite the revolution Internet users, not all Italians are familiar with the web. Rather. I’m still an army Italians, especially the elderly, who can not even turn on the computer. What do we do? We exclude them from the information? Li close to key so as not to disrupt anyone? How can policy ignore that technological literacy is still partial? Yet, judging by the initiatives of the government, it seems that all Italians are, or should be, emulating Bill Gates.
The government decree does not help the media companies because it removes their advertising resources valuable, often indispensable in order to continue living. What does it mean? Someone decided that the press should be forced to throw in the towel and that the publishing companies have to surrender to the budgets in the red? Who knows. The fact is that the political class in conferences doth awards of recognition to the role of control, the power, exercised by the free press, while in concrete decisions, especially those that escape to the antennas of the media, the same ruling class seems to feel a shameful pleasure whenever that may be annoying to the world of newspapers.
And they call democracy. To this objection, who’s boss responds in one way, like a broken record: there’s the web. Ok, let’s take it for granted that even the web can replace the newspapers is also found in advertising, as in the case of auction notices. It is, however, of a process, a phase which still requires a long time. And then, the real question is another. Still they have the papers to indicate, to establish the hierarchy of the news media throughout the galaxy. Are always newspapers to determine the schedule of TV and sites on the Web. To say nothing of the social.
disregard this fact means to disregard the value of information, it means acting to contain the freedom. Finally: why assign alerts tender a site of State, excluding the most common sites of newspapers? We only hope that the judges, the discretion accorded to them, want to remedy these insidious contradictions.
Put the papers in a position to live and grow does not mean assistance to a sector in crisis. It means working to expand the boundaries of freedom. The function of the press is enshrined in the Constitution. Even the most distracted know that democracies are not distinguished by the dialectic between the executive, legislature and judiciary. True democracies are distinguished by the presence and action of freedom of information vested with control tasks on Power. And the newspapers, the newspapers, are still the pivot of the so-called Fourth Estate.
If you were alive today, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) would add the power of information to the three traditional powers that are studied on schoolbooks. To make it easy: if, ironically, the newspapers would disappear as if it were missing one of the traditional powers: legislative, executive and judicial. And that would be a democratic system lost one of these three powers? Moreover, the possible euthanasia of the free press would be even more serious than the end of one of the powers encoded by Montesquieu. Because the free society is characterized by the role of the press, which remains the most important of all.
That’s why it is disconcerting to witness continuous tripping at the expense of newspapers. That’s why we must have the courage to say that anyone who endangers – press information and content against the balance sheets of newspaper companies – the role of information actually undermines the pillars of our freedom. That’s why it is necessary that the norm on notices (already passed by the House) now head back to the Senate. There are other measures that awaits the nation. Certainly, not the laws that put in doubt the future of information.
detomaso@gazzettamezzogiorno.it
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