State silences

How safe is my school? How polluted is the air of my neighbourhood? How are the rankings of public selection processes made? Asbestos is still killing people, but where? How many derivatives have been purchased by public institutions?

These are all legitimate questions for which a transparent public administration should be held accountable. But when bureaucracy becomes a marsh, truth sinks in it and disappears and citizens pay a price in terms of waste – or worse, in terms of human lives. Civic activism and journalism represent a social antibody response against this wall of silence. Silenzi di Stato (State Silences) is a collection of the battles which have been fought for access to information - not always successfully. Though later than many other countries, even Italy now has its own FOIA (Freedom of Information Act): is the transparency of the public administration therefore a guaranteed achievement, or is it still necessary to fight for a full application of the law? Or is the cultural change needed in the relationship between State and citizens still calling us to be vigilant and active?