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What kind of garbage information do people receive in Italy about the U.S.?

A few minutes I logged on www.corriere.it
Believe it or not these were the only two titles relative to the United States that were featured on the homepage:

1. Arizona: Con il mitra al comizio di Obama: "Da noi e' legale"
2. Texas: "Non ho tempo". Non fermo' il boia: giudice a processo.

Am I the only one to see this? I don't know about you, but this is not the first time that I observe this sensationalistic editorial approach in Italian online newspapers. Is it an emblem of "tabloidization"? Is it the "mal-comune-mezzo-gaudio" culture with an infusion of anti-Americanism? Just to get clicks....?

Tags: Arizona, Obama, Texas, U.S., america, corriere

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Permalink Reply by Matteo Fabiano on August 18, 2009 at 3:49pm

International news reporting in Italy has suffered massively over the recent years. The culprit may be cost cuts that have forced many news outlets to bring back home international correspondents and reduce their international desks. However, I would argue that we have definitely seen a steady decline in the quality of editorial oversight, which is ultimately a reflection on Editors in Chief quality all over.

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Permalink Reply by BAIA LINK on August 24, 2009 at 7:55pm

Matteo,
The Time is expressing a similar opinion on a recent article here, by Stephan Faris.
Here Elysa Fazzino of "Il Sole24Ore" reports about the Time article.

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Permalink Reply by Lucia Panini on August 24, 2009 at 11:18pm

I agree that the superficial quest for eyeballs seems to point to the sensational instead of offering the salient, objective reports the media should provide. I just recently read a brief description of the life of Carlo Casalegno, the La Stampa vice director known for his rigor and respect for the mission of the press in informing citizens. The terrorists of the time assassinated him, not being able to withstand his courage. But his spirit and example will hopefully survive through time and offer a role model to serious media professionals amidst the noise.