How to inform (and form) citizens about energy policies?

The regional elections weekend in Germany highlighted the importance of energy policy choices. Yesterday evening’s prime time news on ZDF showed real journalists doing their job, asking to the Green party’s politicians if they will be able to govern after having been very effective in the protests and asking to the CDU politicians which factors, apart from Japan events, structurally reduced consensus. Journalists doing their job, something quite rare in Italy since a number of years.

Talking about energy it is interesting to see how the theme is commented in dedicated TV features. Have a look to the Umwelt programme. Probably you didn’t have the chance of watching on Italian TVs such a detailed account of the bad track record in security of Japanese power stations, TEPCO’s in particular.

Also, an interesting feature on a Kombikraftwerk, a combined power station enabling the storage of excess solar and wind energy is explained with an educational angle.

In Italy only Greenpeace approached with a critical angle the Forum Nucleare ad campaign. And won. The TV spots were misleading. But they also show how deliberately simplistic is the approach. In Italy every effort is made in order to reduce complex problems to polemics. Because then it’s just a matter of black or white, yes or no, right or wrong, like in the most ignorant talk shows. And, as usual in Italy, the one who shouts louder wins. Any discussion has to be transformed into wrangling. This makes things easier for the politicians, erases grassroots debate for the parties and severs the possibility to make informed choices.

Selling as “a balanced, neutral campaign” what in reality is a sidelined initiative is an insult to the intelligence of citizens. Still, since the Italian establishment – TV first of all but also the printed press – promotes the diffusion and the rooting of ignorance, there’s less and less intelligence around to be insulted and level of the debate happily drifts down. You only need to read a few forums and comments to blogs to see this. This is the country where fake earthquake victims are testimonial in TV broadcasts (thanks for the link, you know who you are!).

Citizens may well decide that nuclear energy is the best option. But in Italy this choice will not for sure emerge from the awareness of both advantages and risks.

Image source: Kraftwerk, concert in Kiev, and ZDF

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