Event #1

Italian public debate has for some time now been stifled by emotions and sensationalism: rational thinking has been set aside and the consequences can be read first and foremost in our information as well as in our political reasoning. In times when social networks are capable of greatly accelerating discussions in which images prevail over words, it has been urgent and necessary to propose, with conviction, secular and rational debates, and to attach greater value to the words we use. In recent months, two stories have been enlightening in showing us the extent of our fear and irrationality: the debate triggered by the operation known as Mare nostrum, with the arrival by sea of tens of thousands of people from North Africa, and the stem cell case, the alleged treatment for neurodegenerative diseases that has turned out to be a huge scam. Both stories succeeded in triggering some very aggressive campaigns on the part of associations, political parties, and ordinary citizens. At certain points it was almost impossible to reason and allow for even the most elementary comparison between ideas. The role of information, in a healthy democracy and in one that functions, today more than ever, must be that of offering citizens the tools to think, to allay their fears, to keep from being overwhelmed by images and emotions. But this role must be played out forcefully and clearly. We mustn’t allow ourselves to be paralyzed by populism and irrationality, and we mustn’t surrender to the idea that the priorities of the public agenda are dictated by decibels or aggressiveness.