Once upon a time there was the Public Service. Once upon a time there was a quality RAI, which offered, in addition to information, the Deepening. An in-depth study of quality.
The idea was given to us by the transmission of Enrico Mentana, aired on Wednesday 28 April at 21 pm on La30, dedicated to the presentation of the latest book by Michele Santoro entitled "Nothing but the truth". A complex, articulated book, where at the center there is a disturbing and emblematic figure, that of a Mafia killer: Maurice Avola. From his shocking words which, in some passages procure an indescribable sense of repulsion, an analysis on the period of the mafia massacres of the 90 'develops, almost naturally.
We retrace the painful paths of our memory, of our recent history. Feelings are rediscovered that cannot be forgotten, because people cannot be forgotten who have given all of themselves, even to death, for the state, in compliance with its laws. Already the state. A huge word, a concept unknown to the most. What is the state today? Who would be willing to die for the state today? Giovanni Falcone e Paolo Borsellino they are the symbol of men who have died as faithful servants of the state. A state that, however, had left them guilty alone.
The mafia massacres of 1992
The dialogue between Michele Santoro and Maurizio Avola, made up of specific questions regarding the massacre strategy of the mafia of those years, gives us answers of a stabbing rawness and cruelty. The picture that emerges is chilling. Some suspected it, many described it in articles or books, hardly anyone had ever told it on television in such a clear way, based on the statements of a man of honor, that is of a person who knew very well Mafia men and thoughts.
Those massacres are still open wounds, because until it is fully understood who wanted to kill Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, if it is not known for certain whether it was just a huge mafia initiative or if there were parties together with the mafia. sick of the state, this country will never grow. We owe it to Fiammetta Borsellino, daughter of Paolo, present in the studio together with Mentana, and to all the families of the victims of the mafia and terrorist massacres.
Where has the Vera RAI gone?
In all this range of strong emotions that resurfaced listening to topics that took us back thirty years, a question arose spontaneously: where is RAI? Once broadcasts such as those of Enrico Mentana would have been broadcast on the various RAI networks. RAI was not just simple information, from the Public Service as it was, financed by all of us through the payment of the license fee, it offered a very rare commodity today: the in-depth study. They were other times and there were other interpreters.
Sergio Zavoli, Enzo Biagi, Giovanni Minoli, Michele Santoro, Gard Lerner, Enrico Mentana, Bruno Vespa just to name a few. Each with their own point of view, right, left, center, some more extremist some more moderate, everyone could choose the source to drink from, or, and it was the best thing to do, try to listen to all points of view to create them. one's own, personal one. But all this was only possible when RAI was really RAI, or when it was Public Service.
Now we know that times are changing, but as far as RAI is concerned, this change is not synonymous with growth, but with regression. If the Public Service starts talking about targets, budgets, we are completely out of the way. In the name of these concepts, which may be suitable for commercial television, the final product is somewhat disappointing. There are some broadcasts that, to be polite, we can define unimaginable, with unpresentable presenters and questionable content, which are not seen except by very few viewers.
Once the motto of Vera RAI was “DI TUTTO DI PIU '”, today it could be “THE ESSENTIAL NARROW” and perhaps, by excess, it would not even be so true.
Article by Stefano Vori
