“Dear friends of the press” (and of patience), ComItEs NSW’s tragicomedy continues.
A decade has passed. Ten long years. In ten years, some people learn Japanese, some build empires, others even masterfully breed alpacas in Tasmania.
Then there’s the president of ComItEs NSW and a few other councillors who, after ten years, still haven’t managed to understand (or refuse to understand) a four-point law on grants for the Italian press abroad.
This beloved and venerable assembly of so-called “luminaries” — who would have long ago won a medal for sheer incompetence — has once again outdone itself. In their latest press release, echoed by major news agencies worldwide, they delivered a masterpiece of institutional confusion worthy of a thesis in “advanced responsibility avoidance.”
The law asks these notable people to consider four simple criteria when providing an opinion on whether the Italian Government (not them) should provide funding for Italian newspapers abroad: that the publication is written at least 50% in Italian; that it has existed for at least two years (so no blogs opened last night); that it doesn’t promote advertising harmful to the image or body of women; and that it is distributed among the Italian community and is of interest to people.
That’s it. Comites is not asked to consider whether an article praises or criticises them and their blunders. Nor to judge whether a piece explaining how to cook Grandma’s ragù is more “community-oriented” than one on a dubious report on backpackers in remote areas. They are called only to verify objective facts… but for Comites NSW that’s simply too much.
The press release begins, as always, with “Dear friends of the press,” the most elegant way to say: “We know we’re not really useful to anyone, but we want to tell everyone we still have a pulse.”
The same ComItEs NSW that had to be reminded by the Italian Government to have abused its powers in previous years, now declares it cannot express an opinion (required by law) “because the law is contradictory.” Contradictory for whom? Obviously, for those who either don’t know the law (or think they are above it), or better still, must keep proving to certain “dear friends” that they are backing their interests.
“They ask us to consider, but we can’t consider…” which translates to: “They ask if a pizzeria is open, but we refuse to look at the door’s opening hours so as not to infringe on the dough.”
One can’t help but wonder: is this selective blindness pure ignorance or a cunning strategy? Because rather than safeguarding press freedom, it seems more like a well-orchestrated attempt to hinder those who truly inform the community — especially if they don’t belong to the “dear friends” circle inside the palace receiving much more ministerial funds.
Moreover, each time this farce repeats, it sows more division, distrust and bitterness within an already visibly fragmented Italian community. And those who should represent it, rather prefer to hide behind a veil of meaningless jargon than to act responsibly.
ComItEs NSW’s opinion is not an editorial nor a political judgment. While the the body is riddled with wannabe MPs, it appears it can’t even apply a simple 4-point checklist.
But if after ten years, those four criteria remain an unfathomable mystery that can’t be followed, maybe some of these “Drs” should go back to school.
These arguably less-than-capable professors, unfortunately, are still there. Stuck in their seats like chewing gum under a desk, whether out of masochism, juvenile nostalgia, or sheer sadistic pleasure in saying “there’s nothing we can do” remains unclear to us on the outside.
At the end of it all, one thing is certain: the community’s patience — which indeed has an expiration date — has long since run out.
So, what to do?
A suggestion: next time you can’t express an opinion, do us a favor and don’t issue a press release at all. That would be the only truly useful thing.
