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Dillena, Giancarlo
5 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Accept the superiority of nature
Although Hurricane Irene left New York almost unscathed we are once again complaining about nature taking revenge on mankind, the liberal daily Corriere del Ticino: "The problem does indeed lie with mankind. ... In particular with the conflicting relationship between its atavistic fears and its no less atavistic view of the world. How about if we were to simply accept that we are indeed no match for nature? If we finally, catastrophe after catastrophe, started building more effective dams to limit the damage without giving in to the illusion that we have found a wonderful, impregnable solution? If we admitted that improving our living conditions through technology has its price because we pay for our vulnerability? Now that would be a nice bit of progress for the little intelligent mammals that calls themselves humans and live on the little planet we call Earth."
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More from the press review on the subject » Natural disasters, » Natural disasters, » U.S.
Swiss between censorship and privacy
Switzerland's new code of criminal procedure which entered force on January 1 bans media from publishing the names of victims of crimes without the express permission of the people in question and their families. The measure is aimed at protecting the private sphere of the individual, but in the end it is a rather useless form of censorship, the liberal daily Corriere del Ticino concludes: "Who is better able to resolve the problems associated with crime? An open and informed society or a person 'protected' by mandatory silence from above? A society that is kept precisely and directly informed by the media, or a society which for lack of information turns to the uncontrollable channels modern technology has opened to all? ... It is indisputable that clear rules must prevail in the media sector. But that censorship offers the best solution has yet to be proven."
» full article (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Press freedom, » Crime, » Justice, » Switzerland
Giancarlo Dillena seeks perspectives and not dogmas in times of crisis
Giancarlo Dillena warns in the liberal Swiss daily Corriere del Ticino of the danger of exploiting the economic and financial crisis to re-establish the old barriers between capitalism and socialism: "To avoid the double trap of reductive pragmatism on the one hand and debilitating dogmatism on the other, we need a return to the authentic Western confrontation of ideas. That means the opposition of perspectival, non-dogmatic visions based on the interpretation of real facts; visions that give these facts meaning without subjecting them to the violence of an abstract, overarching order. ... That is the burden of ideologies. And for just this reason they unavoidably tend to become removed from Western democratic principles: the search for consensus through the free confrontation of ideas and the persuasive power of arguments. Once ideologies have set down what is right and what is good, they rapidly become insensitive. ... Because they believe themselves to be the bearers of one dogmatic truth or another, they feel duty-bound to confirm these wherever and however they can, without consideration for the needs, concerns and arguments of those who believe them false by definition."
» full article (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Weltanschauung, » Global
Newspapers won't die out
The liberal daily Corriere del Ticino does not believe that the Internet will supplant traditional media like print newspapers. "The dynamics and the history of information suggest another scenario: a new chain of information will form that integrates all the different mediums according to their particularities and their respective limits. This entails a new version of the old concept: 'The radio broadcasts the news, television shows it and the newspapers explain it.' The different mediums present varying temporal modalities and modes of use that complement each other in their application. ... But under one condition: in its raw, unprocessed form information often conveys little. For it to make sense it must be handled by a person who can crystallise the meaning from it, or in other words, by someone who can change the raw material into a useful product. ... So a new balance must be found - not only among the mediums but also and above all between the content and its means of distribution. This is no easy task."
» full article (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Print media, » Online media, » Switzerland, » Global
Giancarlo Dillena on the pitfalls of ideologies in the crisis
Giancarlo Dillena, chief editor of the Swiss daily Corriere del Ticino, warns of the pitfalls of succumbing to certain ideologies in the ongoing economic crisis. "By its very nature the liberal vision ... cannot be explained by some rigorous, all-encompassing body of doctrine. On the contrary, it is characterised by the continual struggle to avoid any impediment to the free development of economic and social dynamism. ... But ideological interpretation is the weapon of choice for inveterate opponents of the liberal vision, one they have repeatedly employed. To fall into this trap is not only to support their interpretation but above all to move away from the balanced and level-headed attitude towards the crisis that is a prerequisite for overcoming it and achieving a new balance. We must maintain an open attitude and be willing to make the necessary corrections. But we must also be careful to avoid any kind of inflexibility or new dogma - no matter which side they come from."
» full article (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Economic Policy, » Financial Markets, » Weltanschauung, » Global
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