Oil spill make up

by Eleonora Anello

After the attempts to hide, now is the time to promote. One month after the accident on 11 January when, due to a loss of E.on’s power supply systems, were discarded about 45 tons of fuel oil into the crystalline seas of North Sardinia, the situation is still unclear.

The only certainty is that the most popular media, like TV, radio and print media, have not spoken. Some timid information have appeared on the online journal that suggested above video and photographic documentation of the disaster but have produced a very fragmented and in-depth information.

However, the situation is different on the island, where people personally involved, take the word to the local media, in the desperate attempt to make counter-information. The action of the Sardinian civil society immediately focused after the spill, through highly spectacular initiatives to attract media attention.

In the game of parties not only hiding the media, even the Italian institutions are left defenceless. The Environment Minister, Stefania Prestigiacomo, while facing a tangible catastrophic situation, speaks of unjustified alarm and therefore rejected the request for emergency submitted by the municipalities affected.

In all this, E.on has decided to act promptly, as stated in its press releases. Before sending to clean up the beaches by specialized teams that actually have blocked access to contaminated sites and, now, with a special campaign to re-launch of the image of the affected region.

It is said that the administration of the region has thus presented the bill to the E.on. In addition to the compensation, as learned from the words of the governor Cappellacci, the corporation will contribute with own resources to the promotion of Sardinia to strengthen its image in the world after the incident. Not yet know the communicative choice of this operation. Meanwhile, continue to be transmitted very reassuring messages. But the plan set up by Cappellacci, as he said, has three levels: the environmental remediation, the rebuilding of the tourism image and, finally, the industrial perspective. The latter through the elimination of the two older groups to fuel oil.

However, still some outstanding issues, especially in communication. A communication campaign to re-launch the image, although good, can restore the eco-system before the disaster? This campaign re-launch of Sardinia, will be a means to distract people from the real problems? But in this whole affair, perhaps the question we must all ask ourselves is another. In a society focused on the communication, if the problem is not recognized by the competent institutions, trying not to talk about it, does the problem cease to exist?