Filippo Anastasi, journalist and writer, deputy director of Giornale Radio Rai and head of Religious Information at Radio Rai. He was an assistant in Modern History at Sapienza University in Rome, reporter for “Il Messaggero”, managing editor of the Rizzoli-Corriere della Sera group, reporter and presenter for Tg1, and deputy director of Tg2. He made seventy trips with John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Creator, author, and host of Oggi2000, the weekly program on religious current events for Gr1; he has received the Saint Vincent award and the Padre Pio award for journalism. His latest literary work is Scherzi in redazione 2.0 by All around editions 2025. Scherzi in redazione 2.0 is a small gem of lightness and memory, written by Filippo Anastasi and Umberto Cutolo, with a preface by Giancarlo Governi. This sequel to the first volume expands the scope of journalistic pranks, moving beyond the newsrooms of daily newspapers to also embrace institutional press rooms, trade magazines, and missions abroad.
The tone is always that of intelligent joviality: hilarious anecdotes, surreal situations, and memorable characters intertwine in a narrative that is both a tribute to and a nostalgia for journalism of yesteryear. Governi, in the preface, specifically emphasizes this spirit: the jokes were not just amusement, but also a human glue, a way to face the fatigue of the profession with a smile. Among the most enjoyable stories are episodes like “The German Signal,” “The Painter in Moscow,” or “The Ravenous Fennec,” which capture the flavor of an era when the newsroom was a second home and the camaraderie among colleagues was an integral part of the work.
It seems like a fascinating journey into the beating heart of journalism! The backstage of the press, filled with adventurous escapades and situations bordering on the surreal, always offers an intriguing perspective, especially when narrated with irony and a touch of nostalgia for a frantic yet unrepeatable era. In the book, there is something irresistible about telling journalism through its most bizarre stories and its internal dynamics, often unknown to the general public.
The relentless effort of those who run against time for an exclusive, the allure of newsrooms illuminated at night, the thrill of waiting for a piece of news that could change everything is a universe that deserves to be explored with a keen eye and a sharp pen. Journalism, especially in its most unpredictable moments, possesses a unique almost theatrical charm. Those sleepless nights in front of a special edition, the races against time to intercept the right person at the right moment, the brilliant pranks that circulate among colleagues to break the tension… are pieces of a story that, more than inform, often entertains and captivates. Telling this world with irony and intelligence makes it even more alive.
And when irony mixes with the tension and adrenaline of a bustling newsroom, journalism becomes almost like a script lived out in real time. There is still an incessant rhythm, a succession of unexpected events and brilliance, of tricks and twists worthy of a great novel. Yet, behind this theatricality lies the primary mission: to tell the facts, to bring them to light, to give them shape through the written word. Journalism is a continuous dance between chaos and method, between urgency and depth. That fervor transforms the search for truth into an adventure, where every news piece is a discovery, every deadline an assault at the last breath. But beyond the thrill of the moment, there is the responsibility to make sense of events, to interpret them without betraying their essence.
It’s a delicate balance between the frantic pace and the clarity needed to build a reliable narrative. Every newsroom is a stage where one performs without a script, guided only by instinct, experience, and that sense of mission that distinguishes true journalists. It is precisely this tension between improvisation and method that makes journalism an art as well as a profession.
Every day is a new challenge, every news item brings with it a riddle to decipher, and every journalist knows that the truth often hides in the most unimaginable details. And in that thin line between instinct and method lies the true art of journalism. The journalist knows that every word carries weight, that every choice can change the perception of an event, and that the often complex and elusive truth must be told with clarity and sensitivity. Being a narrator of the present is a continuous challenge, a journey through the nuances of reality. And it is precisely this journey through the nuances of reality that makes journalism an extraordinary profession, a mission that goes beyond simple reporting. It is the constant attempt to bring order to chaos, to interpret without distorting, to tell without losing the essence of what happens. Every chosen word is a bridge between the fact and the reader, between what has happened and what is perceived.
Journalism is an act of balance between fidelity to the facts and the ability to give them a voice that makes them understandable, close, and human. Every narrative choice, the same journalist says, is a responsibility and a way to connect the audience with what happens in the world without losing the substance of the stories. Every journalist becomes a bridge between the facts and their interpretation, trying to maintain the integrity of the narrative without losing the rhythm of current events. It is a profession that requires sensitivity, intuition, and an extraordinary ability to adapt to the unpredictable, because reality never arrives in perfectly structured form; it must be captured, analyzed, and told with honesty and intelligence.
Journalism is an art of synthesis and intuition, a constant search for balance between timeliness and depth, between facts and context. Every narrative choice is an act of responsibility, because it is not just about reporting what happens, but about providing readers with the tools to understand it and place it in the flow of events. Journalism is not just news reporting, but conscious interpretation. It is a profession that lives on nuances, where every detail can become an essential piece for deciphering reality. A journalist must be quick without being superficial, analytical without losing the freshness of the story.
Journalism is a dynamic construct, where the boundary between recounting facts and their interpretation is thin yet essential. Each article is the result of a balance between rigor and intuition, between the need to be timely and the need to ensure an accurate analysis.