The eighth edition of the conference “Growing between the lines”, organized by the Osservatorio Permanente Giovani-Editori at Borgo La Bagnaia, near Siena, was characterized by the word “future”: the future of young people between merit and opportunities, including values ​​and social networks and the future of journalism in print or online, including challenges and change. Once again young people, publishers and institutions were confronted with no filters in an intense two days of work conducted by Beppe Severgnini (journalist of the Corriere della Sera) and Maria Concetta Mattei (one of the historical faces of TG2), during which they have made their foray into Twitter (all the speakers have launched a tweet of 140 characters from the stage) and simplistic graphics that have translated into words and images all that was going on stage and among the audience.
The opening work was as always the President of the Osservatorio Andrea Ceccherini who urged the publishers to be more proud and brave in the attempt to find a new business model to prove that on the net profit and quality of information can go even hand in hand: “the directors wipe out the dust from their heads before anyone sweep away inertia and conservation. Publishers need to have more vision and courage, starting to play better on offense and less on defense. Open to change, because this crisis will be much longer as not can challenge each other “. And in this climate of continual change the Osservatorio is a candidate to study a new model that can evolve into a Citizenship Education 2.0 (see ilquotidianoinclasse.it portal).
Many of the featured speakers, Federico Ghizzoni (UniCredit CEO) Alessandro Profumo (Chairman of Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena) Roberto Napoletano (Director of Il Sole 24 Ore) have focused on the meritocracy of the younger generation in their dialogue with the students present in room. “Our model of society protects the existing, there is a rigidity to change, it protects the expert and senior managers and does not give space to young people, and this is one of the reasons for the crisis: since there is generational change you fail to generate growth. We export graduates and do not import “these are the words of Federico Ghizzoni which echoed those of President Mussari” The new generations have the responsibility in the world in which they live: it is vital that they are able to replace the older generations. Many of us will be wiped out. The kids today have to be able to create jobs, we need to return to have the mentality of war is born entrepreneurship. It is good to do things we tend “and the Neapolitan director:” From the eternal insecurity there is a risk that a generation born of fear and mistrust. We must ensure that young people choose Italy “.
On the role of newspapers in the development of the critical spirit was very focused, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, which has excited students and the entire audience with a speech of high culture, defining the newspapers as an example for the boys , a sort of Magister, the teacher, the one who must necessarily have something more than other people, preparing itself, however, also listening: “the perfect teacher is the one who crosses the boundaries of his knowledge back to question, returning to seek knowledge “. The Cardinal also touched on the issue of Facebook and social networks, which he called a “terrible beauty in the hands of the youngest”: young people may take advantage of these new instruments only if held in mind three words, indifference, consciousness and remorse. Speaking of social networks the intervention of Cardinal ended with a tweet “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, fed back to God what is God’s”, in greek 90 characters including spaces!
This was also the edition of directors of The Wall Street Journal, Gerard Baker, and The New York Times, Jill Abramson “enemies” between the lines for the first time together on stage who brought their experience but above all their information vision of the future, made of digital, interactivity and quality. Gerard Baker comes to high-quality journalism in search of a new business model with the center of the digital world, which is faster in reaching the reader, thanks to social networks and video (sometimes they are the same readers “to make journalism “) without neglecting the quality information. Jill Abramson is focusing on interactivity of the narrative for the future of journalism, moving from paper to digital without many difficulties given the still very strong resistance against the new media items. How Not to mention the intervention of the winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1972, Peter Kann, who gave those present the Decalogue for a quality journalism: we are talking of paper or web, the rules do not change, because what matters is the quality of information, the only one that can allow an accurate reflection and the forming of an opinion critical of everything that happens, not to take anything for granted.
To close the work of the eighth edition was Andrea Ceccherini who urged the young people present “Young people, be thorn in the side of the conformism of the masses, of each flock. John Fitzgerald Kennedy said that conformity is the enemy of freedom and the jailer growth. Get rid of “and turned again, as in the interview opening to the directors and editors:” Thanks to the directors of major Italian newspapers that have shown humility and listening skills. This attention is something who paid tribute to your work. the editors would like to say: you have more courage to change your newspaper for real, because we need a newspaper that is less slow and more rock, less Jurassic and coolest. We need that newspapers are closer to what i ask of you. With a fixed point: the quality of information, which is an essential component of democracy. i believe that asking for quality, more quality, more quality, is a way to not leave you alone in the net mare magnum “.