Buona da raccontare. Considerazioni su antropologia e giornalismo.

Anthropologists (not only in Italy) are rarely present in the national media and anthropological knowledge struggles to be heard. Academics are often victims of a time lag: the time needed to research and publish a book or a scientific article does not allow them to keep up with a topical issue. While not giving up this slowness, which is the lifeblood of the discipline as it allows researchers to gain in-depth insights, it would nevertheless be beneficial to use mainstream media to disseminate anthropological knowledge in a timely manner. Anthropologists have two ways of being present in newspapers: by collaborating with journalists as a “source” or by writing articles and letters in their own hands, as happens in Norway where academic anthropologists regularly write for non-scientific magazines and daily newspapers. The work of the journalist and that of the ethnographer certainly have some points of contact that reveal a kinship between the two professions. One of the things that unites them is the extensive use of qualitative interviews. However, despite some similarities in data collection techniques and ethnographic narrative, it is equally important to pay attention to the differences. Ethics, professional goals, and institutional constraints make the two professions quite different. Indeed, it is precisely from the differences that we should start to identify the potential of a collaboration. There is a generative space located on the border between anthropology and journalism, where a fruitful dialogue and an exchange of knowledge tools can be established.