Journalism is a passion. If you don't have it better to let it go. This has been the framework in which, for some 20 years or more, I have taught the techniques of the trade to many young people who now hold senior positions in newspapers, News and Gr.
Over the past two decades, journalism has suffered very hard blows due, above all, to the delegitimization perpetrated by the theorists of news disintermediation, which has put public opinion at the mercy of looters and more or less preyed upon disinformation machines. All this has created a kind of "depression" in the journalistic profession that is also noticeable in the spirit-often resigned-with which new recruits measure themselves against this complex activity
In contrast to the dusky atmosphere hovering over journalism are the 500-page book by Massimo Mapelli, one of my brightest alumni who, after a solid long apprenticeship, is now a top reporter for Tg La 7 .
I recommend reading this book especially to those new to journalism. For several reasons.
The text is nicely written and without any yielding to the rhetoric that often characterizes books that are somewhat autobiographical. The simplicity and clarity of the writing, virtues that are increasingly rare, are combined with precision in reporting facts and circumstances.
Mapelli makes us relive the events he followed in the field, particularly the two expeditions between the ice-or what remains of it , of the two poles. He tells us about his experience as a chronicler of complex court cases, dramatic events, and sensitive social issues. For new generations, it is instructive to read how Mapelli placed himself in relation to the facts he had to tell, to touch on the rigor exercised in cross-checking sources, the adherence to concrete reality without romanticized reconstructions or the staging which TV journalists in particular often attempt. Also bucking the trend is the search for an expository style without the narcissisms and baroque embellishments that often serve only to embellish the emptiness of news and hard data. or to create gratification for otherwise frustrated journalists.
Mapelli , from this point of view, is an old-fashioned journalist who strictly follows the healthy rules of the profession and puts ethics first, a prerequisite for the credibility of those who exercise an 'activity protected by the Constitution.
And so we come back to passion. Because Mapelli, in addition to keeping his back straight and giving bread to bread and wine to wine "out loud," makes it clear how crucial passion is in journalism.
Without it, the gavetta, with its injustices and roughness, would have been unbearable for him. Without the passion, the urge to dig into reality with his bare hands would have given way to computer journalism. Without passion, the obstacles and pitfalls with which the road to news is strewn would have sapped even a willing man like him. Without passion, the tendency to surrender to the trend of sloppy, scandalistic, sensationalistic journalism that publishes without checking and without listening to the parties involved would have triumphed.
We "old-timers" of the trade and young people approaching this adventure can only be grateful to Mapelli for this testament to a professionalism that is and always will be desperately needed.
Massimo Mapelli: Aloud-Vita da giornalista in the field and behind the scenes-Baldini+Castoldi pp.515
*Published on The Discussion
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