war and the media" "
Further victims among” “the journalists sent to Afghanistan. The latest include the correspondent of the Spanish daily El Mundo, Julio Fuentes. We asked one of his colleagues” “to commemorate him and comment on his death” “” “
President of the Foreign Press ‘Association in Italy, which represents some 500 journalists from all over the world in Rome, and correspondent of “Antena 3 Television”, the Spaniard Antonio Pelayo is convinced that the first victim of the war in Afghanistan is the truth; yet “information is a paramount right because on it is founded the formation of public opinion, cornerstone of any democratic system”. After our commemoration of the life and work of Rémi Sulmont and Jean Bianchi (cf. Sir Europe no.7/2001), and in the light of the recent ambush in which several journalists were killed in Afghanistan, including the correspondent of Italy’s daily, the Corriere della Sera, Maria Grazia Cutuli, and the correspondent of the Spanish daily El Mundo, Julio Fuentes, we interviewed Antonio Pelaya and asked him to comment on the death of his colleague and the legacy of the journalists who have given their lives in covering the war. How do you think the international crisis is being covered by the press? “The information of the press, in general, mainly emphasizes the purely military aspects of the war and the diplomatic initiatives, which are undoubtedly important, but it tends to relegate to second place the problems of civil society in Afghanistan, and the plight of so many desperate people”. Do you think it’s right to diffuse the proclamations of Bin Laden and his supporters? “In my country barely a day goes by without us having to come to terms with the terrorist emergency, and the question whether it is appropriate to provide information on the matter has for years been a subject of debate: I am absolutely convinced that news must never be hidden; censorship and self-censorship so easily slip into disinformation, whereas people have the right to be informed in all circumstances. But we need to ensure that they are informed in a responsible and constructive manner without sensationalism or needless alarmism. We must seek the truth and explain the causes and consequences of events. This is a great challenge, especially on such delicate issues as terrorism and war that require the use of ethical and deontological codes that every good journalist ought constantly to bear in mind”. Meanwhile the conflict continues to claim victims in the world of information; among the latest also one of your own fellow-citizens… “I knew Julio Fuentes, a passionate and restless man, with a great enthusiasm for his work, devoured by the urge to be always in the front line: in Latin America, Chechenia, Bosnia and now in Afghanistan. His determination ever since the age of twenty was never to compromise, but always to go the heart of the story, leaving no stone unturned, especially in a war like this where, in the midst of a paucity of often contradictory and manipulated information, it is really difficult to tell the truth”. But is it worth running so many risks? “No one would ask a missionary in Africa or in Asia if he is afraid and if he is conscious of the risks he runs in carrying out his mission, because a positive answer would be a foregone conclusion; besides, it is just fear that safeguards, that makes one courageous, but not irresponsible or foolhardy. The profession of journalism, it too is a vocation, and the professionals who have fallen in the field, and they won’t be the last unfortunately, have performed this mission to the full: they have paid the highest price by giving their own life”. What message is sent out by their sacrifice? “There exist various ways of being war correspondents: there are those who are content to write well-crafted dispatches, full of local colour, in the lounge of their hotel; there are those who go in the spasmodic search for a scoop; and there are yet others who, with honesty, humility and passion, submit to the exertion of searching out and continually checking the truth. To die in the midst of a war in the service of the truth is a courageous witness of faith to the value of free and independent information that liberates us from the brute force of terrorism; it is an appeal to human rights, to democracy and civilization”. Giovanna Pasqualin Trasversa
