The war live, i talk show, the news in real time. All for almost two months. A show of violence – explains Ilvo Diamanti in Repubblica – which has raised indignation, concern and fear. And he also raised many doubts and suspicions. Up to the denial of the evidence of the facts, confusing, sometimes canceling, the distinction between victims and aggressors.
According to a survey conducted by Demos per Repubblica, one in four Italians distrusts the news about the Russian horrors in the war in Ukraine, defining them as Kiev propaganda.
Almost seven out of ten people say they are (a lot or fairly) informed about the events and the evolution of the conflict. In the majority of cases, they positively judge the representation of the war offered by TV. A little less, the narration and the news proposed by the newspapers, appreciated, however, by half of the citizens.
TV has long been the main information channel. The Italians, on the other hand, say they are much less satisfied with the role played by talk show which emphasize the conflict in Ukraine, to the point of transforming it into a “permanent show” in which, in front of the images of the tragedy, “actors” of different professions and settings play. Geo-politics and warfare experts, reporters, journalists, analysts, commentators, politicians and the military. They have occupied the scene where other “fear specialists” previously intervened, that is virologists and doctors who dealt with Covid, today largely obscured and overshadowed by the Russian intervention in Ukraine.
Overall, however, the communication around the war arouses a skeptical attitude among the citizens. Almost half of the Italians interviewed by Demos believe the information on the conflict “distorted and controlled”. Nearly one in four people, in particular, thinks it is biased. And he expresses a negationist, almost conspiratorial approach, believing that the news and images of the massacres carried out are largely false or falsified. Amplified and / or artfully built by the Ukrainian government. And, therefore, “inspired” by Volodomyr Zelensky to de-legitimize the figure of Vladimir Putin and “criminalize” the action of the Russian army.
The distrust of information on war appears to be widespread and politically transversal, but is particularly widespread in the components that are located further to the right. Among the voters of the Brothers of Italy it is 60%. However, it also has a majority in the base of the Lega and the Five Star Movement. And, slightly smaller, among those who vote for Forza Italia. Only the voters of the Democratic Party claim, in large part, to believe in the representation of the war proposed by the media.
The profile of “media distrust” is emphasized when one observes the re-construction and attribution of responsibility in the face of the bloody and tragic effects of the Russian invasion. In this case, almost a quarter of the Italians (interviewed) show “detachment”. That is, he considers the news and images coming from the center of the war to be false. A “hype of the Ukrainian government”, collected by our media for political interest and to feed audience ratings and media consumption.
Thus, explains Diamanti, we can witness the images and the chronicle of the war as if they do not concern us. As spectators. However, we are aware that this is a show that could involve us. For this reason, there is a widespread temptation to stay away, on this side of the screen.
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