Elegy of reading (on paper)

Assembly of the Paper and Graphics Federation: in addition to the numbers of a sector that accounts for 1.4% of the Italian GDP and the initiatives in support of the sector, a very explicit reflection was made on the value of the knowledge acquired through books and newspapers which, according to experts, leaves information on the web way behind. According to Lironi, Mieli, Favari and Rocca. Luciana Guidotti

It seems that books can cure the most dangerous of human diseases: ignorance ... Aphorisms aside, those who do not read and do not inform themselves, limit their ability to communicate and to grow culturally and emotionally.
This is one of the basic issues that gave substance to the public encounter organized by the Italian Paper and Graphic sector Federation, held 22 June in Milan and entitled "More reading, more growth, more culture."

Its president Pietro Lironi argued the choice, with the direct and concise style which he has accustomed us to, specifically emphasizing the role the Federation is playing with institutions and politicians, so that they might assume a precise responsibility and take effective measures to incentivise and stimulate reading and communication.

«The spirit of a country that looks ahead is founded on merely three words. Because - as Lironi said - in reading one communicates, exchanges ideas, it forces us to square up to each other dialectically and this communication pervades every moment of our lives, without limits of space and time. Culture is derived from the union of these three concepts, leading to the forming of consciences, the nurturing and feeding of the brain, allowing generations to grow».

The contents and ideas make a difference
Before ceding the rostrum to the distinguished leading lights of information invited to the encounter, Lironi provided some rather worrying data: between 2007 and 2015 consumption of cultural products (books and newspapers) fell by 35%, now accounting for less than 1% of the total expenditure of Italian households; advertising investments in the press have more than halved (-56%) and statistics also say that Italy occupies the third last place in the EU for reading rates. Hence what is to be done?
Of course there is no miracle cure or ready-made to address these issues, that though must be taken into consideration.

Solicited by Cristiano Militello (reporter of the Italian TV show Striscia la Notizia, actor, comedian and television and radio host), Paolo Mieli (journalist, historian, writer), Andrea Favari (CEO of the Società Europea of Edizioni - Il Giornale) and Christian Rocca (Director of the monthly magazine IL - Il Sole 24 Ore) did not fail to address the most striking aspects of the difficult moment the publishing world is going through, outlining possible paths to be taken to overcome the impasse created by the economic crisis and structural crisis the sector is going through, what with its having to struggle - among other things - with a pervasive digitization of information.

Although with different emphasis, all three offered theorems making a strenuous defence of the printed word, the only medium capable of transferring contents of qualilty.
The most drastic, Mieli, did not mince words in describing the information on the Web as a sort of “rip-off”, because «it does not produce original content, rather it hurriedly gobbles up and garbles what has been presented on paper, the result not inducing reflection; it is not emblazoned into the minds of individuals nor does it awaken the critical spirit». With an additional minus, related to the generalized gratuitousness of the online offer, which perpetuates the nasty habit of diminishing the value of the selfsame information.

Emblematic in this regard the cases raised by Rocca, citing alternative experiences of two renowned newspapers. Placing the onus on "digital first", The Guardian in fact wished to expand the number of its readers creating «a platform from truly extraordinary journalistic content, which nevertheless led to disastrous economic results». Completely different the experience of Le Monde that, saved in extremis from bankruptcy five years ago, made its comeback by going back to wagering on paper, with very positive results.

Favari for his part stressed the valuable contribution of the books distributed as newspaper supplements in supporting the activities of the publishing houses in terms of revenues and volumes.
A talk, his, which offered scope for further thought, this time on censorship, with an explicit reference to the recent editorial choice of offering Hilter's "Mein Kampf" as a supplement to the newspaper Il Giornale: all agree on the need to always guarantee the highest freedom of readership, seeing any form of censorship as dangerous and intolerable deviation.