The dialogue between Francesco Battistini, Fabrizio Dragosei, Marco Imarisio and Paolo Valentino, coordinated by Mario Garofalo, deputy central editor of Corriere. The new edition of the master “Writing and journalism today: the Corriere method” kicks off on 17 June
“The atmosphere changed in a few hours, suddenly the smell of war arrived”, said Francesco Battistini, correspondent in Kiev, during the Open Lesson «Il Corriere and the conflict in Ukraine» organized by RCS Academy for the Alumni of the master Writing and journalism today: the Corriere method. A special in-depth lesson on the dramatic events of the Ukraine-Russia clash moderated by Mario Garofalo (deputy central editor-in-chief of the Corriere della Sera and scientific director of the Master) with the journalists of the Courier service: in addition to Battistini, guests were Fabrizio Dragosei, analyst and former correspondent from Moscow, Marco Imarisio, sent to the Russian capital and Paolo Valentino, correspondent from Berlin. These days the testimony of journalists present in the places of the conflictwho try to observe and tell the different facets of a dramatic situation which in the space of a few hours has upset the stability of many countries.
Battistini remembers the first moments: “We waited all night on our feet waiting for the attack, until half past three, but nothing had happened. I was not awakened by the explosions but by the alarm, I tried to keep a cool head and I started to film what was happening ». When he left the hotel with his mobile phone in his hand, he began to tell what was happening around, bringing users directly there, in real time, a few hours after the start of the war. And immediately it was evident that the city was completely divided in two between those who had prepared and those who had been taken by surprise.
But how did it get to this point? And above all, what is hiding in Putin’s mind? For Paolo Valentino, correspondent from Berlin, it is necessary “to go back to understand what Putin’s vision of Russia was in the world and the relationship of what he calls the former Soviet space. Putin himself has given indications of wanting to reunify the Russian world, reuniting the Russian-speaking populations that have been separated from what he considers the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the twentieth century, that is, the end of the Soviet Union ”. The problem is that it is not clear what victory means for Putin, especially in a different scenario than what he expected. If the initial idea was to install a puppet government in Kiev without having to occupy the entire country, the Ukrainian resistance has changed the perspective. Valentino emphasizes that «Putin thinks he has a mission, he has invested himself in this mission, the reunification of the Russian world, and he thinks almost in metaphysical terms. This means that negotiating is much more complex ».
The compact response of the European Union has also certainly destabilized Russia but “there is a profound difference between the expectations of the West on Russian society and on the consequences of the sanctions and the real effects – underlines Marco Imarisio, sent to Moscow -. We would like there to be an immediate cause-effect relationship instead, to measure a suffering of Russian society, it will take another ten days “. Meanwhile, Russia has seen a blockade of all forms of communication and a rapid devaluation of the ruble. Imarisio says: «We went to look for the queues at the ATMs but they weren’t there, instead I found them in pharmacies, a crowd in pharmacies. The elderly have already experienced the isolation that Russia is about to experience, they know how it works that the basic necessities destined to disappear are drugs and medicines. A really dark atmosphere was immediately created ».
The singularity of this conflict is that it takes place on the territories and, at the same time, it runs fast on the internet. Its complexity lies in telling it. For Fabrizio Dragosei, analyst and former correspondent from Moscow, «whoever wants information will find it in the end, but with great difficulty. They are mainly young people, digitally capable people, while the majority of the population relies on traditional means of communication, on television ». This has created a real rift within the country and, although we are in the digital age, disinformation is breaking through.
“Russian authorities claim that civilians are not being let out of the cities by
far-right militiamen, neo-Nazis and Ukrainian ultra-nationalists who use them as a human shield, ”says Dragosei. The problem is to understand to what extent the Russian people will continue to accept this narrative. For now, the signs are not comforting “8-10 million Russians have relatives in Ukraine, these relatives who are in Ukraine under Russian bombs talk to their relatives in Russia, with uncles, parents, they tell what is happening and the answer is no, that’s not true. Rather, watch out for those Nazis who go around Ukraine ».
The new edition of the master Writing and journalism today: the Corriere method will start on June 17th. A part time path to learn journalism from the story of the writer every day. For further information: www.rcsacademy.it
March 15, 2022 (change March 15, 2022 | 20:43)
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