Italy, Country of the Year. Report of the Eurispes – CoRiS Sapienza TV News Observatory
The news from 13 to 17 December – The worsening of the pandemic situation, with the peak on Friday of 28,000 infections, is at the opening of most prime-time news editions. Concern for the seven regions in the yellow zone from Monday 20. On the other hand, several TV News report positive data on vaccinations, which will be extended to the 5-11-year-old age group starting from Thursday. Ministers and promoters launched numerous appeals, with Tg5 that presents two interviews of the journalist, Luciano Onder, to Professors Alberto Zangrillo and Beniamino Susi between Thursday and Friday. In addition, the reports include appeals by repentant no-vax people. The Covid page is filled with worrying data on the fourth wave in the other European countries, with the United Kingdom recording a new historical record of infected people.
Draghi: defending normality fighting tooth and nail
On Wednesday and Thursday, the front page of the newspapers was once again the statements of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who at the European Council reiterated the need for new border screening measures, claiming the will to defend “tooth and nail” the normality achieved by our Country and contain the spread of the Omicron variant. The success of Draghi’s Italy, crowned (Thursday) “country of the year” by the Economist magazine (opening Thursday for Tg2 and Tg5), is linked in the reports to the debate on the Quirinale, with President Mattarella reaffirming his unwillingness to serve a second term (opening for Tg 2 and Tg3) during his visit to the Pope. On Friday, the headlines of Tg La7 also illustrated the “trap of international acclaim”, which forces the parties to leave “Super Mario” in place. Space for the Mediaset Tg to the meetings organised by Matteo Salvini during the week, with the Tg4 reassuring that Silvio Berlusconi remains an entirely legitimate candidate.
Information gives little space to the general strike
Little space, on the whole, to the general strike of CGIL and UIL, which does not get any opening on Thursday (titles and services, however, in the first part of the editions) while it gains the cover Tg5. Reduced spaces for trade union leaders, with Maurizio Landini being interviewed on Tuesday by Tg4. The information does not seem to give great importance to the protests, but they point out that the trade unions’ criticism of the manoeuvre is aimed much more at the political forces than the executive.
Tg4 is warning about the invasion over changes to the Schengen agreement. Tg La7 eyes on Lukashenko
The hypothesis of changes to the Schengen agreements on immigration, which could result in more significant burdens for the countries of first reception, received an alarming opening from Tg4 on Thursday, while they were out of the headlines for the other channels. Tg1 and Tg2 also gave good coverage of the migrants stranded along the European borders, with Tg3 dedicating a report to the rescues at sea. Tg4 returns, on Friday, to talk about NGO ships, giving space to the interventions of Matteo Salvini in the Open Arms trial. Finally, La7 is the most focused news on Eastern Europe, reporting on Tuesday on the new challenge to Europe by the “dictator Lukashenko” and the surprising Russian proposal for a peace treaty with the US and NATO the tensions with Ukraine remain in the background.
Ravanusa, shock, and emotion
The tragedy in Ravanusa, with the explosion that caused nine victims and more than 100 evacuees, received several headlines during the week, with Tg3 dedicating its opening on Friday to the funeral. On the economic front, the Tg4 news report on Monday denounced the disparity between the number of environmental taxes and the total amount of resources that Italy invests in improving the territory. Furthermore, a comprehensive picture of the public expenditure items is being broadcast on Monday by Tg La7 during Milena Gabanelli’s Dataroom. Finally, the interesting column on small Italian municipalities continues on Tg2.