The “postponed” crisis monopolises prime time news. Report from the Eurispes – CoRiS Sapienza Tv Observatory
In prime time the “postponed” crisis. La7 and the “pendulum of politics” that never stops. Information “dismisses” Trump and applauds Biden.
The news from January 18 to 22 – The government crisis, avoided with the double confidence obtained in Parliament, saturates the news at the beginning of the week, monopolizing the editions of Monday and Tuesday, several special editions, in addition to the usual marathon Mentana. Faced with a government that from the vote in the Senate comes out anyway “crippled” and that seems to lack a compass, even the information “navigates by sight”, relaunching the interventions of the main exponents waiting for the next test for the executive, scheduled for Thursday 28 with the report of Minister Alfonso Bonafede on justice. The Mediaset and La7 TV news gave ample space to Conte’s difficulties in gathering “builders” who can act as a “fourth leg” for the majority, while Tg1 and Tg3 are more possibilistic.
Among the various evaluations of the scenario, Milena Gabanelli’s very critical opinion should be noted, which in Monday’s report on Tg La7 analyses the effects of this crisis on the credibility of the country, with the risks of not being able to use – and even obtain – part of the 209 billion euro of European funds. Mentana’s comment is also bitter, lamenting how “the pendulum of Italian politics has never stopped”, assessing that “we should look for better models to inspire us”. Compared to last week, the headings enter more into the merits of the Recovery Plan, with openings for the most popular TV news (Tg1, Tg5 and Tg3) on the meeting between Conte and the trade union leaders, while on Friday Tg2 asks, on the subject, the European Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni.
Also weighing on the political scene was the maxi operation against the ‘Ndrangheta in which the Udc secretary, Lorenzo Cesa, who has now resigned, is under investigation (6 headlines, openings on Thursday for Tg5 and Tg La7). Tg4 took the opportunity to recall the theory of “clockwork justice”, dedicating Friday’s opening to the investigation involving the leader of the Democratic Party Nicola Zingaretti.
Updates on the pandemic front appear in mid-editions, with improving data and new classifications for the regions. The clash between Fontana and Speranza over the red zone in Lombardy, which the government believes can be traced back to erroneous data provided by the region, stands out on Friday on Tg1, Tg3, Tg4 and Tg5. Great concern, then, for the delay in the supply of the vaccine of Pfizer – 14 mentions in the headlines – which pushes away the vaccination for the over 80. Ample space on Tg La7 to the investigation of the Prosecutor of Bergamo on the failure to update the pandemic plan, which would emerge from a disturbing scenario of failures and unpreparedness.
Even in editions so compressed by the political crisis, Joe Biden’s swearing-in on Capital Hill as the 46th President of the United States claimed the front page on Wednesday, with openings for all (except Tg4). There were numerous covers throughout the week (15 headlines), dedicated to Trump’s latest presidential actions and the first decrees launched by the Biden presidency, which already mark a strong change of pace compared to his predecessor on environmental, health and immigration issues. On the whole, Trump’s farewell is proposed with a clear detachment. Tg5 reflects in a report on the welcome given to Trump by Obama on his arrival at the White House four years ago: a “courtesy” that the outgoing President has decided not to reciprocate.
In conclusion, attention was paid to the case of the 10-year-old girl who died in an attempt to emulate an extreme challenge on the Chinese social networking site Tik Tok, which many children access without proper controls (headlines for Tg La7 and Tg3).