Giuseppe Mastinu deserves respect, especially amid uncertainty. After the injury during Torres-Guidonia on October 25, it is understandable that fans are looking for news about his condition. It is just as understandable that newspapers are covering it. But whenever reporting on someone’s health, every word calls for care.
The headline published by a well-known local newspaper on October 26 suggests that “his career could be over”. The same article, however, reports that definitive test results are still pending. We believe it is necessary to pause over the gap between what remains to be known and the scenario presented in the headline.
The conditional isn’t enough
That “could” expresses a possibility, not a certainty. The distinction is clear. But is the conditional really enough to make a headline like that proportionate?
In our view, no. Invoking the end of a career puts an extremely grave prospect before the reader. If the medical picture has yet to be determined, that possibility risks taking up all the space, leaving the essential information in the background: answers are still pending.
We do not dispute the right to report on an injury and the concern it raises. We take issue with giving so much prominence to a possible outcome while the same report acknowledges that definitive information is lacking.
Uncertainty is news, too. It deserves to be explained clearly, without filling the gaps with the most alarming scenario.
The person comes before the predictions
Centotrentuno, in an article by Roberto Pinna, rightly urges caution: making predictions about an athlete’s future while tests are still to be completed would be “unfair, to say the least, to the person and then to the professional”.
We share this call for caution. It applies to worst-case scenarios and premature reassurances alike. It applies both to declaring a career at risk and to imagining a recovery timeline without sufficient information.
Mastinu should be able to undergo the tests and receive information about his condition without public debate continually racing ahead of the medical answers. His health cannot be discussed in the same terms as predictions about the team lineup.
Waiting is a responsibility
Those reporting the news can share the updates available, attribute them precisely, and clarify what is still unknown. They can also choose to wait before making assessments about the future.
Our criticism concerns this editorial responsibility; we are not attributing intentions to the person who wrote the piece. Words carry weight, even when they are couched in the conditional.
Today, we hope Giuseppe Mastinu can face this moment with peace of mind and all the support he needs. As for diagnoses, timelines, and sporting prospects, we will wait for reliable information. Respect begins with waiting, too.