Stereotypes, prejudices, the cynical disregard for the '"other" form today a kind of dew, which takes all the heat: the journalists in the closed newsroom, people watching TV or while browsing through a newspaper. A jelly form, and elusive, to the point that they feel as soon as its presence.
Words are important, he cites the back cover of the book we are presenting. And if newspapers and television are writing and speaking evil is likely that readers and viewers think evil. "Dirty Words" is a cross-section of contemporary reality in the light of so many, too many episodes of idiosyncrasy reported in the newspapers with superficiality and banality of the basic, the book gives an account of how and why racism and xenophobia in Italy can find space on the most important media, intellectuals in the mouth and between citizens.
Guadagnucci Lorenzo, author of the book, journalist and author, reviews the most striking examples of the alliance between the mainstream press and the vox populi, and points out the "dirty words" to put the index. Words of which in the Italian media, with few exceptions, are widely used and casual.
A lexicon racism and xenophobia that has been built over time by so-called "fear entrepreneurs", those that feed the need for security and denial of difference, to gain consensus in a time of deep economic and moral crisis.
The foreword is by Mohamed Ba, actor, musician, cultural mediator in opening its ugly history of aggression and violence as a tale of other times, other places, and instead the background is the democratic Italy, in the noisy media silence .
The myth of the "Italians good people" is thus, in fact, an artifice of the facts weak and hypocritical. The information system can be factory prejudices. Behind the news, downstream and upstream products and services, playing a delicate game of power, which affects the entire information machine. The doubt is that there is in our country and especially in our communications system, a sort of paralysis of perception, a form of autism that leads to ignoring or underestimating the issue of racism and xenophobia. It is powered by an autism specific interests of power, that does not stop recording, bureaucratically, alarms, the indictments, the recommendations coming from the outside, but inhibits the next step, ie processing, reflection, the 'intervention.
The reality can not come out distorted, manipulated public opinion.

A country banned

In Italy- according to the Immigration Statistical Dossier Caritas-Migrantes - there are 5 million foreigners, who account for more than 11% to our GDP, but for the "party of xenophobia" that works hard in newspapers and television are only "illegal". And what are the prejudices die hard they say people's responses to surveys. For some foreigners would even be 15 million, and "illegal" more than the regular, while all estimates that about 500 000 visitors. The list of organizations that have denounced Italy for its failure to protect minorities and immigrants, for his policy of "refoulement" to the detriment of asylum, for the security package or the conditions of custody in the detention center - Cie, the climate of xenophobia that is rooted in society is now very long, ranging from the Human Rights Commission of the Council of Europe to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Amnesty International UN High Commissioner, through for the European Parliament and the International Labour Organization. A quick examination of relationships is sufficient to draw a clear and chilling picture of the situation. And abroad, we are held up to racism in the media, an entire chapter of the book provides several examples. But first, a historical explanation.
During the Fascist era in post-war Italy and there was also substantial continuity in the media business, cultural and professional. Even after the editorial fascism continued to be largely composed of the same people, in many cases-chief and envoys of the most prominent of the Fascist period were all replaced, most commentators colluded with the regime were removed, but overall there wasn't radical discontinuity. The editorial staff continued to be largely composed of the same people, in many cases-chief and envoys of the most prominent of the Fascist period were suspended temporarily or continued to work under a pseudonym, but within a few months, almost all returned to their place, thanks to the insistence of the publishers' experience asking people to wrap their papers. The heads remained broadly the same, to control the information market continued to be three kinds of publishers: the unclean, of ancient tradition, or industrialists, with their intertwining relationships with corporate and political power, pure or semi-pure new editors, established themselves in the fascist period, such as Rizzoli and Mondadori, especially that published "popular" books and periodicals and the parties with their bodies and "satellites heads." With few exceptions, continued to fail in pure publishing in Italy, devoted to a truly independent quality journalism. With this background it is not surprising that the Italian journalism has remained mired in the mud of omerta and removal of history.
Italy is lacking in a social history of journalism that follows the historical passages frankly most painful and reprehensible and is not reticent about those close links with the domain that have influenced the development of our information system.
And today the Italian media are subjected to enormous pressure of xenophobic and racist social and ideological character. Small and big media are complicit, or even an active part in political campaigns that are based on discrimination of minorities to state clearly identifiable in the policy of the government fear the people to be afraid, be convinced that there is an emergency and safety crime is lurking and has the face of a stranger, so that it can be reassuring, then, by orders, prohibitions, police measures and so on.
For liabilities, laziness, subjection to the power of journalists and the media tend to accompany these regressive tendencies, without asking too many questions. It legitimizes the alleged connection between immigration and crime, or the existence of an emergency safety, emergency Roma even without experiencing the slightest need or actual evidence of a critical examination.
The problem also is that of Italian journalism is conceived as a spectator of what moves in society and as a spokesman of the various factions and uncritical rejection seems to professional tradition, the idea of having a task to protect the rights of the dignity of the weakest if it is also necessary as opposed to political and economic powers that be.

No words to say

Is the title of an article published on International number 736, released in 2008 on the translation of the original London Rewiew of Books, which provides a representation of the penetrating power and interests of the relations between linguistic choices on the information media in Israel from the occupied territories in Palestine . Similarities emerge in the language of the Italian media. Yonatan Mendel is the author of the article, Israeli journalist who speaks Arabic well because he spent much time with the Palestinians, the history of this article was born out of an episode of racism, in fact, Mendel wrote to get hired by the newspaper Maariv as a correspondent from the Occupied Territories, was dismissed by the Director in person because for his own direct experience with the Palestinians in his opinion would lead to bias in favor of Mendel to the Palestinians. We just kept telling him personally. This leads to a reflection on the Israeli media and how to tell the Intifada, the current situation, the army and the conduct of the government's theme unwritten rules that guide the Israeli journalism.

• Us and them: clear contrast between the Israeli army, in which all have enemies and they trust the Palestinians
• "Our Language": Whenever the military disclose information or his version of events "that state" or "confirm that" the Palestinians instead of "support". Still, the armed forces of Israel strike, while the Palestinians murder, they kill.
• Unnamed: generality of the people, not subjectivity of individuals, the Palestinians. Like the gypsies.
• No voice in the Israeli media version of events without mentioning the Palestinians call them into question, totally omitting even their point of view.
• Words taboos: for example there aren't the Israelis occupied territories but territories.
• Code spontaneously formed on the language needs of the armed forces, however, are not impositions. The media have spontaneously adopted an unwritten code that guides the work of reporters every day. Journalists Israeli-Mendel-writes are not embedded (journalist sent to war zones that are new with the invading army, which protects their safety and rider look) On the other hand possess language restrictions arising from a voluntary choice , almost unconscious, and therefore more dangerous.

Marco Revelli, sociologist and social activist who spent some time among the Roma in Turin, wrote in a speech that the Roma are a mirror of society, like the portrait of Dorian Dorian Grey. The young in the novel remains true to itself while the portrait grows old. So in the Roma camps, writes Revelli "in ugliness, repulsive in their appearance, in the environmental and social degradation that marks them, in filth and abandonment that are the common feature always reflected the vices and faults, and the social degradation of the human desert our society.

Bubbles

So this is not the fact that there are xenophobic journalists. If that were enough to expose them and counter them replaced. But one thing is structural, in regard to the relationship between media and power. Unfortunately, xenophobia is becoming a collective, mass, with pathological forms of moral panic and violence. Tacit rules to consider, the conventional use of a standard language and the phenomenon of "information bubble" may explain why then, despite the individual journalists are not racist but then act on stereotypes.
The unwritten rules are the absolute legitimacy of the information coming from police, true to strength, with which we must maintain cordial relations, in the articles should be emphasized that ethnicity will give a different weight to the news, considering the fact immigration only as a social problem that produces insecurity and fuels crime, illegal immigrants in particular are a source of danger. The Roma are nomadic and the maximum considered that the authorities can do for them is to build parking areas and already is so decent. All this delivered with a standard language and full of stereotypes: the dominance of a certain language is the result of conformity and professional inertia.
Finally, the phenomenon of bubbles information: there are several, of varying duration and magnitude, almost never considered as such. What is it? Disclosures is a classic bubble, when suddenly deal with all the daily news on one topic, which becomes a monopoly of ideas. Something happens that affects public opinion, almost always creates a bubble of information where everyone speaks only of what has happened. An example is the tragedy of ThyssenKrupp in Turin in the days following has reopened the Pandora's box on the theme of "work" in all its forms.
In addition, the "DogWatch" founding myth of the foreign press that wants to be understood as a metaphor for journalism "watchdog" to protect citizens from abuses of power and information becomes diverted in Italy sadly transformed into a "golden retriever", dominated by to power. In addition, the Italian journalism is still tied to the canons of literary of late nineteenth century, is not independent, is a slave to advertising. The landlord is in writing and has his interests and can not do without sponsors, so there is less chance to decide a hierarchy, a cut and an interpretation of the news that you lose the fundamental characteristics of journalistic work, its autonomy, the its role as the fourth power of control and information.
Without forgetting the state of insecurity increasingly rampant in the area: conformists, precarious, working on news in the assembly line and uncritically.

Not in my dictionary: How to turn the page?

Campaign: The media respect the Roma people Promoted by: Campaign "Journalists against Racism"
Campaign against racism in the media.

“In recent days we have witnessed a strong political campaign and information on the topic of immigration. We were very impressed by the tone and content of many media reports, especially concerning the Romany people. Too often in the titles, in the articles, services such as the Roma - as a people - have been designated as dangerous, violent, crime-related, source of problems for our society.
Unfortunately, the emphasis and distortion of recent times are just the culmination of a process that goes on for years, with the world of information and inclined to offer a political scapegoat for the Italian malaise.
Individual incidents of crime have been emphasized and attributed to an entire people, old and absurd stereotypes have been replicated uncritically and without any real analysis of the facts. The Roma population is historically subject, throughout Europe, discrimination and exclusion, and our country has been repeatedly criticized by international bodies for its inability to protect the Roma minority and to ensure that all civil rights enshrined in the Italian Constitution, the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
We invite journalists with scrupulous respect for the rules of professional conduct and attention in order not to repeat episodes of discrimination. We call the Order of Journalists to issue a similar invitation to the whole category. To remind citizens the opportunity to report to editors and journalists to the Order of any case of xenophobia, discrimination, incitement to racial hatred found in the media. ”

"Dirty words" and then tells the commitment of Journalists against Racism, Article 3, Cospe and other organizations and suggests the way of a critical consumer of information: the change goes not only by new ethics rules, but also by active citizenship and the daily work of those who exercise professione.Il the book in question proves passionate, militant and highly topical, to find words more accurate and respectful. During May 2008, newspapers are tested to this effect:
"Revolt in Naples: we are hostages of the Gypsies" (Il Giornale, 13.05)
"Nomad camps, enough is enough." (Il Tempo, 5.14)
"Moratti rejoices, Penati: 24 000 nomads away from the city" (Messaggero, 14.05)
"Objective: zero Roma camps," "Roma is running in the Ferrari, "" So sell the Roma children "(Il Giornale)
In this bleak and violent atmosphere created the group "Journalists against Racism" (GCR), a completely informal, gathered around the site (www.giornalismi.info/gcr), used to spread the appeal that it marks the 'birth, the first being via email to a group of journalists deemed sensitive to the issue starts to turn more and more in a few days there are hundreds of subscriptions. Experienced journalists and reporters to sign the first arms, media activists and bloggers, antiracism activists and ordinary citizens. Do not miss foreign names. The appeal has a text hard to complain and ended with an invitation to observe the ethical rules of journalism. A month later, he groped decides to something more concrete. A complaint to the distorted use of the word illegal, the word most poisonous of all because it becomes rhetorical lever with which to justify repressive policies against migrants, and the practice of critical consumption of information, to promote the idea that direct action pressure on the media and individual journalists in the case of articles, titles and content services from xenophobic and racist. The Deli etymological dictionary explains that illegal as an adjective means something that is done in secret and against specific orders, as a noun of secretly embarking passenger ship or plane. In essence, the illegal immigrant is a person who does not want to show, it violates the law to evade the authorities. And it's rhetoric points to them as threatening and related crime, implicitly invoking a repressive intervention to neutralize them.
"Being out of journalistic language of the five" dirty words "for us is therefore a first step towards a professional minor revolution, a sort of conscientious objection. Enclosing call a glossary, we have proposed a real handbook to use in their daily work. Serves to demonstrate that there is always an alternative choice of words. "
Unfortunately, not only by eliminating certain words from your vocabulary that you will be able to change things, even someone of the caliber of Vaneigem wrote at the time a book titled "Nothing is saved, all you can say," claiming a total freedom of expression against the crime of opinion, but maybe ... the choice of Guadagnucci serve to trigger a start of cultural mutation, which also by the language, perhaps that is. It would be quite something.

A society in crisis re-invents new vocabulary and slowly develops a new variety of words that do not describe reality but rather try to hide it.
David Grossman.

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