Francisca, a Sardinian 'Voice of America' at RAI

Francisca De Candia – whose first name is somewhat like the city of San Francisco – has a special relationship with the United States. It is her favorite place. Originally from Cagliari, she graduated from Bocconi with a degree in Law in 2008 and is now a reporter and television author at RAI. She never misses the chance to report on the real, Middle America, which is not as well understood in Italy. She did so for the last elections, where, just by listening to the country’s gut in rural areas, she was sure Trump would win. Yet, despite journalism being her life today, Francisca did not grow up with that dream: "Far from it, I saw myself rather like a kind of Perry Mason. But I really liked writing and I wanted to somehow combine the two worlds, that of law and that of writing." She therefore chose the law program at Bocconi – "The CLMG program had just been established, but I knew it could give me an edge," she says – and in the summer of 2007 she participated in a Bocconi Campus Abroad initiative at New York University.

"A world opened up to me there," says the alumna. "I attended a course on the Production System in the Arts and Media area and I realized I was interested in media production and field research typical of journalism." So, back at Bocconi, she also participated in the newly created Radio Bocconi and understood that that was her path. She applied and was selected for an internship as an aspiring producer at RAI in New York, right in the week of Obama's election. Then, after graduating, she decided to stay in the US and do a two-year traineeship there, in the editorial office of America Oggi, in order to become a professional journalist.

"Working in the United States has taught me that you have to have the humility to start from scratch. The first day at America Oggi, even though I had already worked on reporting Obama's election, they put me in the letter-by-letter editing of a piece. However, this type of experience taught me how to be precise, which is fundamental in my work," says Francisca. But life in the US also taught her something else: "How competitive the American system is, but at the same time it knows how to reward merit, effectively giving you a chance, whoever you are and wherever you come from."

After returning to Italy in 2011 and passing the exam to become a journalist, Francisca De Candia accumulated several experiences in web radio, technical publishing and the creation of the media company Rusmedia, until flying back to the US to work again as a producer for RAI. She stayed there for a year and then in 2014 she returned to Italy again, this time called to work on Ballarò with Giovanni Floris: "It just so happened that a fellow producer had just left his place in the show and since they were looking for someone with international experience, I was the right person in the right place." From there she then continued her journey at RAI, which today sees her engaged on several fronts as a reporter.

But year after year, even today, the United States represents an attraction that Francisca cannot resist. And thanks to her experience, she can notice the mistakes that we Europeans make when thinking about and describing the US, sometimes without knowledge of the facts: "The main mistake we make is also made when we talk about other countries around the world, that is, to look at them from a European and Italian point of view. However, like with any place, you have to go there and study them from the inside."

This also applies to the recent presidential elections, that Francisca again followed in the US: "I knew that Trump would win. Americans look a lot at their economic situation and Trump is perceived as someone who can solve financial issues. In the US, people vote for anyone who promises to make people better off economically. The motto 'America First' is no coincidence."

Lastly, on the topic of women and journalism: "Being a woman imposes more challenges, there’s no use beating around the bush," she says. "From this point of view, the US is a little more meritocratic, but even there... Two out of two women have lost, to mention the presidential elections again. Maybe they weren't the right people, but two out of two suggests that there is still no trust." Returning to journalism, "there are many women in top roles, but not in executive roles."

Any advice to girls and young women who want to pursue your career? "Learn to go straight to the source, verify the news 10 times and have an experience abroad." But if they are still students: "Work at the University! When I was studying, I worked on the organization of several events, including Economia e Società Aperta, and those experiences taught me a lot about working methods, much more than many others!"