Why not equip yourself with a TV channel for Defense?

21/12/15

The current crises and recent tensions, following the terrorist attacks, have brought the idea of ​​war into Italian homes, after more than twenty years of peace since the end of the Cold War.

The public opinion of the western world has settled on a perpetual balance, decidedly far from reality, highlighting, to all the employees of the "Public Affairs”, That there has been a long period of emptiness in communication. The "opinion maker"They unconsciously overshadowed the international scene, concentrating information only on sensational topics, often only national, only to increase the number of editorial sales.

The company of today, that 2.0 and I would dare 3.0, with new technologies is invaded by information, for 24 hours, and that's why the role of communication has become primary, provided, however, that it is "real-time". The news in a few seconds is already old on the network. Seeing and listening to an evening newscast was an essential moment, today it has become an old pleasure that can be done without. It is the mere summary of the day.

As I said, information manages to spread and permeate everywhere, in real time, and the most extraordinary innovation is that the target audience is often the originator of the news, of the "scoop". Just a photograph or a video launched online to inform and create news, an event and convey consents, opinions and move the needle of the balance of the reputation of a company, a public personality, or anyone else interested.

Thanks to the countless forms of information and communication, today, public opinion has become mature as it is more informed and even manages to interact live during the event.

The military world has had to adapt to information-hungry virtual reality. Who does not communicate quickly does not exist. At the press offices, pages of the most common social media and web TV are linked to the traditional website. Despite the efforts, it is not enough to follow the pace of the media wave.

The problem of the armed forces is to communicate to public opinion the reason for the existence and essence of the military structure. Before the current international situation and the vile terrorist attacks, in our cities, it was really difficult to justify spending commitments that are important for the modernization of armaments. Just to mention the F-35 issue that has been the workhorse of various political currents to counter and dismantle the primary needs of modernization of weapon systems, which have now become no longer responsive to the needs of the times.

The F-35, the fifth-generation aircraft, has been so much discussed, when already in the USA we are studying the project of sixth generation aircraft, known news, for example, only to experts

To make people understand how fickle the context of reference was, it was enough for the bar of the terrorist danger to get up so that no one could speak more of military weapons. IS' "bipartisan"Now the need to look more closely at the world of security and defense. Why? Public opinion would not understand, at this time, a different tendency from that of being able to guarantee, by all means, security and defense.

Returning to the need of the armed forces to always have to communicate to the public, it would be really innovative, for example, to have a typical television channel in Italy too "Pentagon Channel". It is an American satellite channel managed entirely by defense personnel that tells the daily life of the military world; the needs of staff and their families, events, missions, as well as "report"Complete on military instruments and international issues with links"real-time”From the various theaters of war. The aim is to make everyone see and experience what it means to wear a uniform, fight and die for your country on the other side of the world.

La web tv it is a complementthe step to be taken to really communicate "real-time"and "world wide"Is television, which always remains the number one reference for public opinion.

Femaz

  

Dear reader, your contribution of thought is appreciable and - as before - well argued.

The theme is dear to me because it precedes the history of this newspaper. But let's go by order.

First of all, remember that "Pentagon Channel" was closed in April of this year due to budget problems and the increasing use of the web by viewers. A television channel has - at best - costs in the millions. A web tv no.

However, there are other aspects that should be highlighted. Within the Italian Defense I understand that a project for a television channel via digital terrestrial was aborted only a few years ago. Confidences among the experts have always reported to me as the cause of the failure to broadcast (everything was practically ready!) That of disagreements and jealousies between politicians and their entourage ... I collected these testimonies because the year before the Online Defense adventure I asked the same question.

One executive, among the various I questioned, also replied: "If they didn't succeed with all the money and means put in place then, forget about being able to create a successful information channel on Defense - now - without political support and funding. ! ".

Needless to say, how wrong he was.

The basic problem is that you can have all the tools you need to communicate but it's useless without the will to do it.

I often stress that we could have 500 F-35s and 10 Cavour aircraft carriers but they would be useless in a country where there is no political capacity to employ them. This, as the facts show, also applies to the media.

Of course, let's talk about "those of Defense". Otherwise they know how to use them very well for propaganda in Italy.

Andrea Cucco