Public service

I was recently invited by Anna Scafuri, an economic journalist at state broadcaster RAI’s channel one, to take part in the ‘video chat’ the channel’s news desk dedicates daily to a variety of subjects. ‘’Don’t be surprised if some of the questions they ask you seem a little naïve. Our program is geared for a general audience and our public is made up of normal people who are not necessarily experts on the subject at hand,’’ she told me, almost apologizing.

Perhaps it is because I was once a middle school teacher, or perhaps because I believe that the role of a critic or an expert should be to be understood by all, but her words were music to my ears. ‘’Finally, I will be talking with people to whom I can give some simple and, hopefully, useful advice,’’ I told her. And that’s exactly what happened. A lot of questions were asked during the 40-minute ‘chat’ and while some were, in fact, a little naïve, many others were surprisingly intelligent, reflecting both curiosity and common sense. Since I almost always have to deal with experts or well-informed wine lovers, interacting with ‘normal’ people was like a breath of fresh air. I am convinced that people who ‘know’ should enlighten those who know less and are curious to know more or who want some sound advice.

For me, the first thing a critic or expert must do is make themselves understood by using words that everyone knows and explain as simply as possible any technical terms that may arise. In other words, they must put themselves at the service of the public and not show off and narcissistically play the part of the expert, which is often the case when one places themselves in a pulpit. In order to do our job correctly, it is important we choose the right words, be open to discussion and maintain a good dose of humility (we are wine experts, not inventors of miracle cures). We should not limit ourselves to interact with our peers but, when possible, seek dialogue with a vaster public with the conviction that it is more important to be at the service of many rather than few.