The paradigm of modern journalism is shifting towards “Solo journalism

Max Civili, an Italian journalist, stated, “I believe that solo journalism will increasingly become a reality, with many newsrooms intending to move in this direction to cut costs.”

According to the news headquarters of the 2nd Sobh International Event, the professional workshop “Solo journalism” with the presence of Italian journalist Max Civili was held on the third day of the 2nd Sobh International Media Event at PressTV.

In the introduction of his speech, Civili mentioned, “We are talking about an issue that is important, practical, and novel in today’s media world. The solo journalist is a category that many prominent media outlets around the world consider and strategize for.

He talked about the advantages of solo journalism: This field has many advantages for the journalists and enables them to take on various tasks. One of its advantages is independence. The reporter does not need to be in the office but can independently follow up on the desired news topics. In this situation, the reporter can reflect on the quality of their work and consider ways to improve it. Furthermore, the reporter has greater control over the production of news and is more open to addressing various issues.

This media activist emphasized that being a single reporter in Italy is different from being one in Iran. In Iran, your activity is influenced by structural norms and patterns, and it is crucial to consider the impact of institutions and social structures.

In another part of his speech, Civili said, “I want to talk about online research or online journalism. We have several laws in this field. But first of all, you should know what you are researching and what your intention is.” The first step is to collect information from two sources: primary sources and secondary sources. The main source of information is obtained either directly from the person or from someone who has a close relationship with them.”

While introducing secondary sources, he explained, “On the other hand, we obtain secondary information or second-hand sources from individuals who have an indirect relationship with the person. For example, we consult analysts who analyze the speeches of a prominent political figure. It is you who must categorize which source is primary and which is secondary. The next step is to verify news and information, which is a very important issue. Any news that reaches us should be verified, and the source of that news should be identified.”

About the censorship of news in Italy in favor of the Zionist regime, he said, “In Italy, there are individuals or movements that fact-check the news. Of course, many of them act based on their own opinions. I must point out that in Italy, many of these groups are pro-Israel. Therefore, it can be said that the news is filtered before reaching the people.”

Civili explained the importance of interviews in solo journalism, stating that interviews are a key method for gathering information. This technique is widely used in solo journalism. I remember my first job as a solo reporter during the 2006 World Cup. I attended numerous news conferences, covered 23 games, and carried a tape recorder and a camera to produce audio and video content. With this, I was able to conduct numerous exclusive interviews with several football players worldwide, resulting in 64 worldwide publications.

He added, “Of course, getting an interview involves many complexities, and you have to pay attention to numerous details, from the manner of communication with the interviewee and asking a variety of questions to the way of expressing gratitude. Even when you ask an important interviewee a challenging and difficult question, you should be attentive and demonstrate it through your reactions.”

In summarizing his speech, Civili said, “It is a very important question to ask whether a solo reporter can handle all the work alone and embody the paradigm of modern journalism. In response, I will tell you: Yes. In my opinion, this process will be implemented gradually, and many newsrooms are planning to move to having solo reporters to reduce their expenses. Their goal is to depend on a reporter. Because they can perform better in preparing and publishing news.

The 2nd Sobh International Media Festival, with Mohsen Yazdi as the festival director, started on May 19 in three sections: “Main,” “IRIB World Service,” and “Palestine Special” with the screening of documentary, animation and short film works, along with the holding of professional workshops on the topic of media.