Valuable information for enterprises and markets and responsible training for young journalists
Enterprises need proper information – free, independent, top-quality and thus reliable information – able to “give a voice to those who do not have one” and to represent, regardless of politics and power, the values and interests that feed an “open society”, a liberal democracy. And also capable to create a space in which to debate the principles guiding those entrepreneurs who drive research and innovation, generate employment and wealth, are agents for change, because companies compete on markets that thrive on confidence – confidence supported by verified facts and data, which then influence investments and production as well as consumption decisions. Misinformation is indeed the enemy of effective competitiveness, and the convergence of rights and duties, freedom and responsibilities, individual interests and general strategies – the essence of enterprises – requires places and spaces in which to exchange thoughts, vent criticism, evaluate and assess in an open and transparent manner.
It all sounds like good general political theory, enduring rhetorics applicable to any political, economic and cultural process enveloping our day-to-day life.
After all, democracy, competition, corporate freedom, environmental and social sustainability are all interconnected and no economic development can exist outside a framework encompassing democratic values, welfare structures, scientific research and highly balanced social relationships – the whole European and Western political culture of the 20th-century provides substantial proof of this.
Hence, such rhetorics must be promoted – especially in such controversial and contradictory times as ours, marked by dramatic geopolitical tension, weighed down by presumptuous authoritarian temptations, theories on “anti-liberal democracies”, populist tendencies and a worrying increase in fake news, sensationalism and post-truth, as well as the extraordinarily fast-paced dissemination of Artificial Intelligence and its creative processes, which not only deeply affect the representation of reality but actually “generate” reality, through the creation of deceivingly fake arguments and images able to radically prejudice political judgement, cultural attitudes, habits and consumption. An “artificial truth” that’s corrupting real life.
Marco Tronchetti Provera, leader of Pirelli – which this year supports the “Premiolino”, the oldest and most prestigious Italian journalism award – made a very valuable observation on the current state of affairs: “In today’s world, knowing the value of a writer able to not merely report but also interpret a piece of news, is key to democracy.” Therefore, “if, going forward, we continue to focus on such writers, on their value and their cultural education, and if we make space for younger writers to flourish, we can then be sure that Italy will remain a free country. This does not just apply to Italy, it should happen everywhere.”
A focus on young journalists represents a strategic decision – media crisis notwithstanding, Tronchetti insists that, “the value of information is enhanced by people who look at facts, try to comprehend them and then report them on newspapers, TV and other media. These are the kind of writers we need to train and nurture, “so as to ensure, over time, that readers continue to have the opportunity to form their own opinions.”
Indeed, the “Premiolino” award – chaired by Chiara Beria di Argentine, is not just an award. It also represents an opportunity to yearly assess the state of information and perpetuate the principles uniting freedom of press and democracy, bearing in mind how important proper information concerning the economy, finance, employment and market transparency is, too (after all, the award was founded in 1960 by two entrepreneurs from Milan with a deep belief in public values, Piero and Giansandro Bassetti).
The latest edition – the award ceremony took place on 2 October at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan – was not only informed by Article 21 of the Italian Constitution (“All shall have the right to express their thoughts freely by speech, in writing, and by all other means of communication. The press shall not be subjected to any authorisation or censorship”) but also by the First Amendment of the American Constitution (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”). The event also resounded with the words that Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s founding fathers, wrote in a 1787 letter to his friend Edward Carrington.
Words that represent a veritable cornerstone for freedom of information within a democratic community: “I am persuaded myself that the good sense of the people will always be found to be the best army. They may be led astray for a moment, but will soon correct themselves. The people are the only censors of their governors: and even their errors will tend to keep these to the true principles of their institution. To punish these errors too severely would be to suppress the only safeguard of the public liberty.” Therefore, Jefferson insists, “The way to prevent these irregular interpositions of the people is to give them full information of their affairs thro’ the channel of the public papers, and to contrive that those papers should penetrate the whole mass of the people.”
The conclusion is clear-cut: “The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”
Enterprises need proper information – free, independent, top-quality and thus reliable information – able to “give a voice to those who do not have one” and to represent, regardless of politics and power, the values and interests that feed an “open society”, a liberal democracy. And also capable to create a space in which to debate the principles guiding those entrepreneurs who drive research and innovation, generate employment and wealth, are agents for change, because companies compete on markets that thrive on confidence – confidence supported by verified facts and data, which then influence investments and production as well as consumption decisions. Misinformation is indeed the enemy of effective competitiveness, and the convergence of rights and duties, freedom and responsibilities, individual interests and general strategies – the essence of enterprises – requires places and spaces in which to exchange thoughts, vent criticism, evaluate and assess in an open and transparent manner.
It all sounds like good general political theory, enduring rhetorics applicable to any political, economic and cultural process enveloping our day-to-day life.
After all, democracy, competition, corporate freedom, environmental and social sustainability are all interconnected and no economic development can exist outside a framework encompassing democratic values, welfare structures, scientific research and highly balanced social relationships – the whole European and Western political culture of the 20th-century provides substantial proof of this.
Hence, such rhetorics must be promoted – especially in such controversial and contradictory times as ours, marked by dramatic geopolitical tension, weighed down by presumptuous authoritarian temptations, theories on “anti-liberal democracies”, populist tendencies and a worrying increase in fake news, sensationalism and post-truth, as well as the extraordinarily fast-paced dissemination of Artificial Intelligence and its creative processes, which not only deeply affect the representation of reality but actually “generate” reality, through the creation of deceivingly fake arguments and images able to radically prejudice political judgement, cultural attitudes, habits and consumption. An “artificial truth” that’s corrupting real life.
Marco Tronchetti Provera, leader of Pirelli – which this year supports the “Premiolino”, the oldest and most prestigious Italian journalism award – made a very valuable observation on the current state of affairs: “In today’s world, knowing the value of a writer able to not merely report but also interpret a piece of news, is key to democracy.” Therefore, “if, going forward, we continue to focus on such writers, on their value and their cultural education, and if we make space for younger writers to flourish, we can then be sure that Italy will remain a free country. This does not just apply to Italy, it should happen everywhere.”
A focus on young journalists represents a strategic decision – media crisis notwithstanding, Tronchetti insists that, “the value of information is enhanced by people who look at facts, try to comprehend them and then report them on newspapers, TV and other media. These are the kind of writers we need to train and nurture, “so as to ensure, over time, that readers continue to have the opportunity to form their own opinions.”
Indeed, the “Premiolino” award – chaired by Chiara Beria di Argentine, is not just an award. It also represents an opportunity to yearly assess the state of information and perpetuate the principles uniting freedom of press and democracy, bearing in mind how important proper information concerning the economy, finance, employment and market transparency is, too (after all, the award was founded in 1960 by two entrepreneurs from Milan with a deep belief in public values, Piero and Giansandro Bassetti).
The latest edition – the award ceremony took place on 2 October at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan – was not only informed by Article 21 of the Italian Constitution (“All shall have the right to express their thoughts freely by speech, in writing, and by all other means of communication. The press shall not be subjected to any authorisation or censorship”) but also by the First Amendment of the American Constitution (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”). The event also resounded with the words that Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s founding fathers, wrote in a 1787 letter to his friend Edward Carrington.
Words that represent a veritable cornerstone for freedom of information within a democratic community: “I am persuaded myself that the good sense of the people will always be found to be the best army. They may be led astray for a moment, but will soon correct themselves. The people are the only censors of their governors: and even their errors will tend to keep these to the true principles of their institution. To punish these errors too severely would be to suppress the only safeguard of the public liberty.” Therefore, Jefferson insists, “The way to prevent these irregular interpositions of the people is to give them full information of their affairs thro’ the channel of the public papers, and to contrive that those papers should penetrate the whole mass of the people.”
The conclusion is clear-cut: “The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”