Mons Viganò: Radio an antidote to fake news
(Vatican Radio) The Prefect of the Secretariat for Communications, Mons Dario Edoardo Viganò on Thursday addressed a workshop in Milan entitled “Journalism in the age of Fake News. The frontier of radio “.
Facts versus fiction
In remarks prepared for the occasion, Mons Viganò began by stressing the importance of fact and source checking in this era of fake news, saying that it was “worth remembering that the verification of sources is the primary rule of journalism, adding that, in the age of contemporary information truth runs the risk of becoming a secondary aspect.”
The Prefect went on to say that, “because of a continuous technological evolution, it is difficult to use the conceptual categories of the past,” and he noted the role of the internet and Social Media which have played their part in changing the media boundaries that people have become accustomed to.
Mons Viganò said that what was required in this era of fake news was “to reiterate the need to recover the foundations of ethics and the ethics of the journalistic profession that are based precisely on the verification of sources as well as on other principles.” He also commented that there was a need for critical thinking on the part of social media users who often share information on their own profiles without paying too much attention to the text.
Radio and Fake news
Turning his attention to Radio, the Prefect, said that in this age of fake news “…Radio is a strategic key to ‘anti fake news’,” which can not only counteract this phenomenon but can facilitate an opposing logic.
By exploiting the new media, he said, “Radio has strengthened its identity at all times and has kept its appeal intact both in terms of audience, advertising and economic investments.”
Mons Viganò underlined, that Radio enjoys consistent credibility among young people who put it in pole position among the traditional media, such as TV and newspapers.
In short, the Prefect said, Radio involves an extraordinary narrative immediacy that has a fundamental value.
Mons Viganò was participating at the workshop ahead of the 69th edition of Gran Prix Italia, the Rai International Competition dedicated to innovative radio and TV programs and high-quality cultural and artistic programs.