G. Smorto: «Digital newspapers force journalists to work in real time with multimedia materials and never-ending sources»

Mètode

Journalist Giuseppe Smorto leads the website of Italian newspaper La Repubblica, one of the most read in the country and a referent in Europe from 2003, and he has worked on this enterprise for more than three decades. Therefore, Smorto is a privileged witness of the transition from paper to the digital environment. Repubblica.it was the first news website in Italy and Smorto underlines that they have 2.3 million fans in Facebook and 1.8 million followers on Twitter. We talk about the challenges of the digital press and the future of environmental journalism in the web-2.0 and web-3.0 paradigm.

The environmental section of La Repubblica in the digital edition of La Repubblica is one of the best in Europe. Why did you bet on this model?
The environment is a big part of our future. For example, in my ideal medium, the environmental section is as important as «Politics», «Sports» or «Entertainment».

In your paper edition, are ecology and sustainability as relevant as in the digital edition?
Obviously, the digital edition has more space, more ways to edit, write and tell stories. But our newspaper conducted a lot of environmental campaigns.

How did the Internet change your gatekeeping of environmental news?
Now we work in real time, with multimedia materials, never-ending sources and citizen journalism.

You said in a previous interview that online immediacy is a risk for quality press. What do you recommend to maintain the right level for your contents?
Yes, we work in a speedy way, but if you are fast you have a high chance of making a mistake. This is a danger. But it is also a form of diversification. We work in real time. When something happens, the paper works to understand why it happened. Sometimes, it is fast and shallow, but we fight against it! I think a website is more of a collective product than paper, because we have to dress the news not in nice writing but in multimedia materials. In real time.

«The digital edition has more space, more ways to edit, write and tell stories»

«When something happens, the paper works to understand why it happened»

«I want my journalists to always be connected to social networks in order to understand what’s going on out there, what the main issues are»

La Repubblica promoted environmental bloggers. Why is this channel interesting for your online newspaper?
Yes, there are not only news. It is interesting, because in www.repubblica.it we also need expert opinions.

Continuing with this idea, from your perspective, could blogs replace journalistic work from the newsroom?
No, because the point of view of the blogger is sometimes too specialist.

Regarding social networks like Twitter, what do you demand of the journalists in your newsroom?
I’m asking them to share the campaigns we believe in and news, of course. But, above all, I want them to always be connected to social networks in order to understand what’s going on out there, what the main issues are, what users are interested in…

For you, what is the main role of environmental journalists?
They should not be adversary to business or politicians by default. I reckon environmental journalists should endorse legitimate campaigns, give readers the instruments to understand the news without «translating» it for them. And since environmental journalism is such a long-term, evolving theme, I think we should keep the reader aware about the consequences coming from today’s actions.

The development of environmental journalism has been historically limited due to economic interests. In fact, advertising lobbies are not very eco-friendly. Do you frequently have news sponsored by energy or oil companies?
Yes, it happened with Enel, an energy supplier.

The Guardian is leading the big campaign «Keep it in the ground» to fight against climate change. Have you promoted any environmental action in Italy from the newspaper?
We support many campaigns promoted by environmental associations, such as WWF, Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli (LIPU), Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano (FAI) or Greenpeace, by announcing their actions and giving voice to their representatives.

In your opinion, what is the future of environmental journalism in the digital paradigm?
We will have more tools to develop the news. We could let the news be updated by readers, with a journalist checking the updates, of course. I think this could work especially well for environmental information, because readers interested in environment are often a big community spread all over the world, eager to help and fight for the planet.

Maria Josep Picó. Journalist. Chair for Scientific Dissemination of the University of Valencia.
© Mètode 2015.

Mètode

«Journalists should give readers the instruments to understand the news without “translating” it for them»