La strage dei telefonini: the massacre of the cell phones
(Note: Footnotes and bibliography have been omitted. Please download the printer-friendly PDF for the full version of this essay.)News on the Virginia Tech tragedy in Italy, a country where the human population totals 55 million and the ‘cell phone population’ 75 million, included many articles that were quick to mention the heightened importance of the cell phone as a means of recording live action on campus. Cell phones were used to alert friends and family and, could have served, it was said, as a possible solution to the ‘delayed or slow response’ by university authorities. The direct, unedited images of the tragedy sent via cell phone was exactly what the Italian mass media wanted. In reporting this type of news event, no additional sensationalization was needed.
The recent Italian tendency to sensationalize news events has its roots at Vermicino in 1981, during the failed attempt to rescue a young boy trapped in an artesian well. The developments in the rescue efforts were broadcast live, unedited, and on all the television networks for the entire several-day process. Each network was competing for its audience because of a recent reform which granted them independence and no longer guaranteed support without results. This increased pressure to deliver what the public craves may well have played a role in the way that the VT shootings were covered throughout Italy.
The initial Italian reaction to the Virginia Tech tragedy was very similar to what was reported in the U.S. Diplomatic relations with South Korea came into question, as well as the treatment of Koreans and Korean-Americans in the U.S. Most reporters were in shock and were also puzzled as to why this violent scenario continues to happen. Many journalists, when searching for an answer to the recurrence, focused on the European versus American identities. At the same time, they discussed the role of American gun laws and the lobbying strength of the National Rifle Association.
The tendency of the Italian mass media to sensationalize news events is one of their most well known characteristics. However, another trait of Italian media is the clear political leanings of each source, whether printed or audiovisual. This sensationalism is found in reporting on each end of the political spectrum. Combined with the tendency towards sensationalism, the media’s ability to persuade gives them the power to shape public opinion. The public now requests increased urban security and crime prevention by the local authorities. Youth, and more specifically immigrant youth, are frequently blamed for the violence. This phenomenon is being observed worldwide. The tragedy at Virginia Tech University only supports the feelings of anxiety already salient in public opinion; it is the type of news item that provides all of the natural sensationalism which the Italian media are accustomed to sharing with their audience.
The overwhelming sense of an increase in youth crime, despite the sensationalistic reporting, cannot be objectively substantiated by the Italian criminality data collected by Istat and Censis. This sensationalistic VT crime, committed by an immigrant youth on an American university campus, fit easily into the agenda-setting of the Italian mass media, but it did not change the facts. Neither immigrants nor youth should be used as scapegoats when addressing issues of criminality and urban insecurity. While the ‘shaming and blaming’ of youth through sensationalistic reporting seems destined to continue, the Virginia Tech shootings highlight other issues on which to take action. The inequality in the U.S. education system, the lack of integration of Cho Seung-Hui and others into the ‘campus community,’ and U.S. gun laws are all of great concern.