Right information: the class action against Italian public TV

by Silvia Musso

Although it is not strictly environmental communication, it is still a right to information. For this reason Envi’s editorial staff has decided to talk about the initiative launched by Altroconsumo: a compensation action against RAI, Italian public TV.

Altroconsumo, the most common association of consumers in Italy, whose aim is the consumers’ information and protection, is asking in favour of those who paid the yearly fee for the 2010, a compensation of 500 euros for the damage caused by RAI behavior.

In 2010, according to Altroconsumo, Rai has not fulfilled its obligations, recruited through the Public Service Agreement and imposed by law, to give an objective, impartial and balanced information. During the election campaign that preceded the vote in local elections of 28 and 29 March 2010, for example, Rai has some of the main programs of political information and analysis, as Ballarò, Porta a Porta, Anno Zero, Ultima Parola. So one of the main tasks of public service broadcasting - to allow the aware formation of every citizen of their political will - failed.

At the same time, Rai, betraying its role as concessionaire of public service broadcasting, with the primary objective of achieving balanced and impartial information, has recognized some parties spaces greatly superior to those granted to other political formations which have also took part in the election. Behaviour repeatedly sanctioned by Agcom.

Also this year, Rai, near to the last local elections on May, has been repeatedly sanctioned by AGCOM (the last fee to the Tg1 - the television news on first channel - was 258,230 euros, the maximum extent permitted by law as a recurrence) for violation of par condicio law because of the continuing imbalance of time spent by political parties majority than the opposition.

The information campaign to collect membership is quite simple and is based on press releases, interviews and participation in events. On 9th May, for example, a meeting, organized by the National Council of Consumers, was held during the PA Forum at the New Fair of Rome, on the problems and prospects of the "Italian-style class action" to a year and a half after the entry into force of Article 140 bis of Consumer Code.

Specifically Marco Pierani of Altroconsumo spoke of the collective action against the public television and the class action as a means of protection of a wide variety of subjects, but also about the general interest to safeguard the primary right to free, plural and objective information.

Information and news on the class action are available on the website of Altroconsumo. To join you need to call a toll free number. An operator answers and explain how the action works. This first call is used to pre-join. You can give your references and after June 22, the date set for the Judge meeting, those who gave their references will be contacted to explain how to proceed.

The campaign from the communication point of view is not very elaborate and certainly has not used those many innovative diffusion channels that we have seen for the recent environmental campaigns before and after the Italian referendum vote. In any case the initiative promoted by Altroconsumo is having a good result likely thanks to both the theme itself of the class action - the inalienable right to information - and the economic aspect - the compensation of 500 euros.

The success is demonstrated by the number of subscribers who continue to adhere and that appears in the Association home page: more than 40,000. But the number is rapidly growing!