In search of truth 2.0
By Giacomo Mazzone *
“Feel the full importance of words. They are never just words: they are facts that shape human environments. They can connect or divide, serve the truth or use it for other ends. We must disarm words, to disarm minds and disarm the Earth. There is a great need for reflection, calmness, and an awareness of complexity.
This is how Pope Francis expressed himself a few days ago in a letter to the Director of Italy’s most important newspaper, Corriere della Sera, speaking of the need to build a culture of Peace. An emergency no longer avoidable in a time when “words are stones,” in the era defined by some as post-truth.
At the point when truth no longer matters, what is left of the social contract that binds together the members of every society, of every community? Or rather, how can a social contract be enforced, where there are no longer any measuring tools or shared truths. We return to a world, in which truth was a prerogative of the one who held power, who, as such, considered himself above scientific truths, historical truths, and even pietas.
But how can this happen today, in a world where scientific progress is making huge strides every day, with new discoveries and moving the frontiers of knowledge forward; where information-previously limited and paid for-now overflows freely from every possible medium, starting with cell phones and the Internet
This is perhaps precisely the problem. And that is that information has been made yes accessible to all (“by any means, anytime, anywhere”) and apparently even free[1] , but at the same time it has been emptied of quality, eliminating the mediators, namely journalists and publishers. As the words, “You are the media now” shown at the opening of X (formerly Twitter) in early 2025 intends to confirm. And it has also been de-empowered by imposing on the whole world the “first amendment” of the U.S. Constitution, according to which everyone is free to write anything, even knowing it to be falsehood.
The traditional European approach since the invention of the printing press, from Gutenberg onward, has been to hold the mediators (journalists, editors referred to as “accountable,” publishers and even printers) accountable to society for what appeared in their articles, newspapers or books. And who can be prosecuted if they write falsehoods knowing that they are doing so, and in doing so cause harm to others (defamation) or to society (incitement to violence, racial hatred, etc.).
The irruption of social media into the world of information has resulted in the absence of rules being imposed worldwide, thanks to the fact that social media were not held responsible for the information they conveyed. Only since 2024, in Europe, with the full entry into force of the Digital Service Act (DSA), have Internet platforms also become liable subjects for the information they distribute, and in the most serious cases, they can also be prosecuted
Unfortunately, the new European rules come too late, when by then the damage to the media industry around the world is irreparable. In Italy, for example, as Communications Authority President Giacomo Lasorella recalled, the number of newspaper copies sold from 1990 to 2020 has halved every ten years. Today only 1.5 percent of Italian households access a daily newspaper compared to 30 percent in 1990. While in 2024 about 60% of all advertising revenue of all Italian media went online advertising (and mainly to 4 groups: Google, Meta, Amazon and Tik Tok), while everything else (TV, radio, newspapers, etc.) had 40%.
Worst of all, this trend also looks set to increase due to a generational factor. By now, according to the very recent Eurobarometer survey on the habits of young audiences (16-30 years old) in Europe[2] , 42% of this age group gets their information mainly through social media compared to 39% from TV and 25% from online press and youtube. An information -that proposed by social media- determined by algorithms (which decide according to the reader’s orientation what to propose and promote polarization) and above all no longer “mediated” (i.e. in the absence of professional mediators, such as journalists) and without human control
And here it comes in handy to recall the main concept expressed in the 2015 Encyclical “Laudato sì,” that of “integral ecology,” which indicates the need for a new economic, environmental and social paradigm that is more resilient and inclusive. A paradigm that -as prescribed by the non-pollution of water and air- also provides for an information ecosystem that is transparent and accountable, where -just as the Pontiff wrote a few days ago to the Courier- we always remember that “words are never just words: they are deeds that build human environments. They can connect or divide, serve the truth or or use it for other ends.”
These issues-among others-will be discussed at our International Conference to be held at the Vatican on May 15-16-17 entitled precisely “Overcoming Polarizations and Rebuilding Global Governance: The Ethical Foundations.”
* Giacomo Mazzone, CAPPF Advisory Board member , Secretary General of Eurovisioni and co-chair of the United Nations IGF Policy Network (IGF= Internet Governance Forum)
[1] The gratuitousness of information on the Internet is only apparent, since it is paid for by handing over users’ personal data to platforms…
[2] Flash Eurobarometer FL013EP YOUTH SURVEY Youth survey 2024 – February 2025 – – Eurobarometer survey Top-5 main sources of information for young people Top-5 forms of youth engagement 39% TV 42% Social media platforms (e.g. Instagram, Tik-Tok, etc.) TV 26% Online press and/or news platforms 25% Friends, family, colleagues 23%