Agenzia Stefani
Encyclopedia
Agenzia Stefani was the leading press agency in Italy
from the mid-19th century until the end of World War II
, founded by Guglielmo Stefani on January 26, 1853.
by Guglielmo Stefani, who was of Venetian origin and was the director of the newspaper Gazzetta Piemontese, with support from Camillo Cavour.
Under the Cavour government, the agency gained huge advantages through the granting of secret funds while the Statuto Albertino
banned privileges and private monopolies. The radical press, meanwhile, suffered from restrictions on freedom of information. As well, Agenzia Stefani, being in a monopoly situation, became a government tool for media control of the Kingdom of Sardinia
.
After the death of Guglielmo Stefani, in 1861, the agency resurrected its collaboration with British agency Reuters
and French agency Agence France-Presse (Havas
). It was this, the world's first news agency, that acquired 50% of Agenzia Stefani in 1865.
An informal government, the "Stefani" followed different transfers of Italian capital, from Turin to Florence
in 1865, then to Rome
in 1871
massacre, to Bava Beccaris; through the repressive actions of Luigi Pelloux
and the Pelloux government, to the assassination of Humbert I of Italy, to the Italo-Turkish War
, the war with the Ottoman Empire
in Libya
and the casual changes in international alliances preceding the First World War.
During the course of the 1890s, Francesco Crispi
was a promoter of a break with Havas
, accused of publishing false and biased news, to encourage the foreign policy of France. A mutual exchange agreement was signed with the German Continentalen, with the Austrian Correspondenz-Office and Reuters
, to allow governments to control and censor, if necessary, the news from, and for, abroad.
Throughout the First World War, Agenzia Stefani received exclusive access to the diffusion of the dispatches of army staff, and 1920, an agreement was reached with the Giolitti government, which assigned the task of disseminating government information to the press prefects and government offices. Pursuant to the agreement, the appointment of the director and the major foreign correspondents were subject to government approval. The following year a new agreement with Havas granted it access to information from the United States
and Latin America
, thanks to cable connections created between New York
and Paris
.
, Benito Mussolini
grasped the potential usefulness of such a tool and on April 8, 1924, he placed Agenzia Stefani under the control of the sansepolcriste, Manlio Morgagni who, in a short time, transformed the voice of the government within Italy as well as abroad.
In 1924, it had 14 bureaus in Italy, with 160 correspondents in Italy and 12 abroad, who succeeded daily at "working" an average of 165 incoming dispatches and 175 outgoing. Under Morgagni's direction, the agency underwent important development, to the extent that in 1939 there were 32 Italian bureaus and 16 others abroad, with 261 correspondents in Italy and 65 abroad, who every day processed an average of 1270 incoming dispatches and 1215 outgoing.
Following the arrest of Mussolini on July 26, 1943, Manlio Morgagni committed suicide.
, and placed under the direction of Luigi Barzini senior. Its last director, Ernesto Daquanno, was shot at Dongo
with the dignitaries accompanying Mussolini.
Dissolved on April 29, 1945, the technical structure and its organization were transferred to the new ANSA.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
from the mid-19th century until the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, founded by Guglielmo Stefani on January 26, 1853.
The beginning
Telegrafia privata - Agenzia Stefani (Private Telegraph - Stafani Agency) was created on January 26, 1853 in TurinTurin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
by Guglielmo Stefani, who was of Venetian origin and was the director of the newspaper Gazzetta Piemontese, with support from Camillo Cavour.
Under the Cavour government, the agency gained huge advantages through the granting of secret funds while the Statuto Albertino
Statuto Albertino
The Statuto Albertino or Albertine Statute was the constitution that King Charles Albert conceded to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia in Italy on 4 March 1848...
banned privileges and private monopolies. The radical press, meanwhile, suffered from restrictions on freedom of information. As well, Agenzia Stefani, being in a monopoly situation, became a government tool for media control of the Kingdom of Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
.
After the death of Guglielmo Stefani, in 1861, the agency resurrected its collaboration with British agency Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
and French agency Agence France-Presse (Havas
Havas
Havas is the second largest advertising group in France and is a "Global advertising and communications services group" and the sixth-largest global advertising and communications group worldwide, operating on the communications consulting market through three main operational divisions:*Euro RSCG...
). It was this, the world's first news agency, that acquired 50% of Agenzia Stefani in 1865.
An informal government, the "Stefani" followed different transfers of Italian capital, from Turin to Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
in 1865, then to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1871
Under the direction of Friedländer
In 1881, Hector Friedländer took control and kept it for 37 years. Under his direction, the agency remained close to the government, contributing strongly to blunting the opinions of the press towards the controversial events of the era, such as the Battle of Adowa, a disastrous war in Africa; to the Roman Bank scandal, through the 1898 popular uprisings, to the MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
massacre, to Bava Beccaris; through the repressive actions of Luigi Pelloux
Luigi Pelloux
Luigi Gerolamo Pelloux was an Italian general and politician, born of parents who retained their Italian nationality when Savoy was annexed to France....
and the Pelloux government, to the assassination of Humbert I of Italy, to the Italo-Turkish War
Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and...
, the war with the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and the casual changes in international alliances preceding the First World War.
During the course of the 1890s, Francesco Crispi
Francesco Crispi
Francesco Crispi was a 19th-century Italian politician of Arbëreshë ancestry. He was instrumental in the unification of Italy and was its 17th and 20th Prime Minister from 1887 until 1891 and again from 1893 until 1896.-Sicily:Crispi’s paternal family came originally from the small agricultural...
was a promoter of a break with Havas
Havas
Havas is the second largest advertising group in France and is a "Global advertising and communications services group" and the sixth-largest global advertising and communications group worldwide, operating on the communications consulting market through three main operational divisions:*Euro RSCG...
, accused of publishing false and biased news, to encourage the foreign policy of France. A mutual exchange agreement was signed with the German Continentalen, with the Austrian Correspondenz-Office and Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, to allow governments to control and censor, if necessary, the news from, and for, abroad.
Throughout the First World War, Agenzia Stefani received exclusive access to the diffusion of the dispatches of army staff, and 1920, an agreement was reached with the Giolitti government, which assigned the task of disseminating government information to the press prefects and government offices. Pursuant to the agreement, the appointment of the director and the major foreign correspondents were subject to government approval. The following year a new agreement with Havas granted it access to information from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, thanks to cable connections created between New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Management under Morgagni
After the rise of fascismFascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
, Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
grasped the potential usefulness of such a tool and on April 8, 1924, he placed Agenzia Stefani under the control of the sansepolcriste, Manlio Morgagni who, in a short time, transformed the voice of the government within Italy as well as abroad.
In 1924, it had 14 bureaus in Italy, with 160 correspondents in Italy and 12 abroad, who succeeded daily at "working" an average of 165 incoming dispatches and 175 outgoing. Under Morgagni's direction, the agency underwent important development, to the extent that in 1939 there were 32 Italian bureaus and 16 others abroad, with 261 correspondents in Italy and 65 abroad, who every day processed an average of 1270 incoming dispatches and 1215 outgoing.
Following the arrest of Mussolini on July 26, 1943, Manlio Morgagni committed suicide.
The RSI and ANSA
With the creation of the Republic of Italy, the State took ownership of Agenzia Stefani and its headquarters was moved to MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, and placed under the direction of Luigi Barzini senior. Its last director, Ernesto Daquanno, was shot at Dongo
Dongo
Dongo is a comune in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy. It lies on the northwestern shore of Lake Como between Gravedona and Musso at the mouth of the Albano...
with the dignitaries accompanying Mussolini.
Dissolved on April 29, 1945, the technical structure and its organization were transferred to the new ANSA.
See also
- News propagandaNews propagandaNews propaganda is a type of propaganda covertly packaged as credible news, but without sufficient transparency concerning the news item's source and the motivation behind its release...
- Editorial independenceEditorial independenceEditorial independence is the freedom of editors to make decisions without interference from the owners of a publication. Editorial independence is tested, for instance, if a newspaper runs articles that may be unpopular with its advertising clientele....
- Freedom of the pressFreedom of the pressFreedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
- History of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)