(Courtesy Translation)
Welcome to the Quirinal Palace! Thanks for visiting, Mister Dean.
It is a pleasure to welcome you to this Palace on the occasion of the thirtieth edition of the Venice Seminar.
I too wish to thank Ambassador Lambertiniand his staff for their effort, which made it possible to organise your Seminar. For three decades this has been an important moment for exchange between qualified agents of public opinion in the United Kingdom and Italy, remarkably contributing to the dialogue between our two countries.
London and Rome share long-standing cultural, political and economic relations and it has often been possible to work on converging goals.
Indeed, our common belonging to the European civilisation, cannot be weakened, nor removed.
This is what clearly emerged last year, on the occasion of the State visit to Italy by Their Majesties, the King and Queen of the United Kingdom. A visit that held great and concrete significance.
The Venice Seminar fits in the historical and fruitful relations between the United Kingdom and Italy; its thirty-year old activity proves its effectiveness as a venue for a privileged dialogue, where two journalism schools and approaches can engage.
The United Kingdom played a crucial role in the advent of modern journalism, often leading by example in terms of professionalism, independence and impartiality.
Free journalism is the antidote to abuses, to manipulations by public and private powers, to opacity and lies, thereby ensuring the possibility of forming one’s own independent opinion, based on the strict description of the facts.
All forms of oppression and of manipulation of the principles of liberty begin by repressing journalists. It is not by chance that the most heinous regimes – as soon as their actions are questioned – decide to limit the space for freedom of information.
Think about the current situation in Iran: the regime’s major concern, aside from brutally and cruelly exterminating the demonstrators, is to conceal what’s actually happening – people taking to the streets, repression, killings. From the very beginning, the regime has attempted to prevent access to information sources, as well as the spreading of news.
This is just the latest example of the attempts to hide dissent, social unrest, the truth. This is done by obscuring the very facts that journalists must report under all circumstances, especially the most appalling ones, such as conflicts, from which they are being ousted, as their work is censored and their access denied.
Journalism’s commitment to truth and liberty often comes at a price. In 2025 – as the International Federation of Journalists points out – over 120 journalists and media workers were killed in war zones, many of whom in Gaza.
The issues you will be addressing over the coming days, which have just been depicted, are particularly important for the affirmation of the principles underpinning a free and independent journalism that is aware of its duties vis-à-vis individual citizens and the public opinion.
I’m thinking of the panel on the geopolitical role of communication networks and critical infrastructure, of the one on Artificial Intelligence. Such issues transcend bilateral relations, they address universal challenges, driven by the contribution of ideas that certainly emerge from the bilateral debate.
Issues concerning freedom of information issues also draw on the rules through which the international community defines its profiles.
Further to this point, it is praiseworthy that the European Union – through the European Media Freedom Act – has decided to give an important contribution in this regard.
I once again would like to welcome our guests to Italy and wish all participants great success during the Seminar sessions.
Best wishes!
