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Blaming of Italians and paternal premier: the communication of Palazzo Chigi at the time of Covid

With the growth of infections and the use of Dpcm, the "Casalino method" is back. A communication strategy designed to put Conte at the center of the scene, strengthening his image as a kind and paternal premier, thanks to the game of expectations on the texts and transforming freedoms protected by the Charter into kind concessions, but also aimed at criminalizing citizens, Secondly, the evident inefficiencies of the government – after 8 months of emergency – with respect to individual behavior

With the growth of infections and with the use of the Dpcm, the "Casalino method" is back. A communication strategy designed to put the premier at the center of the scene thanks to the game of expectations created by the circulation of the Dpcm drafts. The technique is simple: at first some hypotheses of particularly restrictive measures are circulated, in order to cause panic among the citizens. Subsequently, a certain apprehension created, the Italians are forced to follow all the communications of the Prime Minister to know the real extent of the new restrictions.

The "Casalino method", as it has so far been used by the staff of Palazzo Chigi, also aims to probe the mood of public opinion in real time to modify the contents of the measures and strengthen the image of the premier.

Usually, particularly restrictive measures come into the draft of the Dpcm which are then softened or even eliminated. Just think of the hypothesis of the ban on parties in private homes, which was then transformed into a strong "recommendation" for a push, it seems, of the Colle. The role of Prime Minister Conte in these dynamics, as pointed out several times by Antonio Palmieri on Twitter , is absolutely crucial. In the phase in which the drafts are circulated, the premier remains cautious, emphasizing above all the commitment to find shared solutions. Then, when the Dpcm is signed, it presents its contents, extolling the concessions with strongly paternalistic tones. This allows him to be perceived as a father figure attentive to the needs of Italians, unlike other ministers perceived as much more rigorous. Just think of the denunciation and police checks evoked by Speranza to hit the house parties. Conte, to overturn an obviously unconstitutional proposal, declared: “Obviously we will not send – I want to be clear – the police forces in private homes. We absolutely want to protect the sphere of private life ”. In short, despite not having the powers to violate the domicile (article 14 of the Constitution, the "most beautiful in the world" …), the people's advocate has transformed an obvious into a kind concession. In the usual logic according to which citizens are considered subjects or children who must be looked after by a good and understanding father.

The communication strategy built by Casalino is not limited only to the dissemination of the draft measures and the construction of the image of a kind and paternal premier. The communication from Palazzo Chigi also focuses on blaming the Italians. In a highly polarizing process, they are constantly being put on trial for misbehavior as the government absolves itself, thus protecting their choices. Despite this very strong spin , the data show that the Executive was not ready, even after 8 months of state of emergency, both because it spent only a third of the 3.4 billion that had been allocated to deal with the emergency. ; and because the intensive care places that were planned have not been created. But thanks to a communication aimed at criminalizing citizens, evident inefficiencies are fading into the background and now seem to be of no importance with respect to individual behavior.

The “Casalino method”, among other things, has a serious side effect which consists in the dangerous overlap between official and unofficial measures. The circulation of drafts, the engine of this communication system, only complicates the life of an Italy that is already afraid and increasingly confused. The exact opposite of what should be achieved by sober and effective communication.

The post Blame the Italians and paternal premier: the communication of Palazzo Chigi at the time of Covid appeared first on Atlantico Quotidiano .


This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Atlantico Quotidiano at the URL http://www.atlanticoquotidiano.it/quotidiano/colpevolizzazione-degli-italiani-e-premier-paterno-la-comunicazione-di-palazzo-chigi-ai-tempi-del-covid/ on Thu, 15 Oct 2020 03:51:00 +0000.