Fire Inside: JCU Alumna Francesca Sapio Wins Riccardo Laganà Prize for Journalism
Francesca Sapio, Class of 2020, recently won the Riccardo Laganà prize on Biodiversity, Sustainability, and Animal Welfare for her news report written with Caterina Tarquini on the illegal trafficking of exotic animals. We asked her to tell us about the process behind this investigation and her time as a Communications major at JCU.
You recently won the Riccardo Laganà award for your journalistic investigation titled Esotici Fuori Luogo (Exotic Animals Out of Place), on the illegal market of exotic animals. How did you come up with this idea? What was the process behind the investigation?
It all started two years ago, when a new regulation on the trade of exotic animals was implemented in Italy. Its goal was to make legal trade more stringent. As a result, some exotic animals that used to be legal suddenly became illegal to own and trade. The question that immediately came to my mind was: what happens to these animals?
I wasn’t able to do anything about it for a couple of years until I met up with an old high school friend, Caterina Tarquini. We discovered that we shared the same interest in journalism. We thought we should try to collaborate on a project together, and that’s when I told her about my idea.
It was not easy to work on an investigative project, since it was the first time for Caterina and me. We started out by speaking with the owners of animal shops, then experts, institutions, and organizations. The more we talked to people, the more we discovered. The main thing we learned from this is that regulations on this matter are very limited, which means that the illegal trade of exotic animals can happen easily. And it’s not just a regulation issue – people in our society do not have enough awareness of this problem and so they tend to consider it in a very superficial way.
We also wanted to talk about the problems in our healthcare system that the mistreatment of these animals can cause, especially after COVID-19, since they could potentially cause another pandemic. We spoke with a journalist from National Geographic, David Quammen, who told us that another similar pandemic will, in fact, happen. It’s a potential emergency that we, as a society, should consider more carefully.
How did you end up competing? How was winning the award?
We had originally submitted our project for the Premio Morrione, but we weren’t selected. Fortunately, we were later chosen for the newly created Riccardo Laganà prize, which we ended up winning.
I’m really grateful for this win because it gave me the opportunity to put my passions to the test, since I’ve been dreaming of becoming a documentarian since I was a kid, and I love animals. I think this is just the beginning because I still want to keep reporting on animal rights.
The best part of this project was during the award ceremony in Turin. We had to present the project in front of a high school class, and at the end, they asked us questions about it. One student asked us if we intended to do a follow-up report. That was so important to me because it was clear that it had had an impact on them, which is what I wanted to achieve. So I’m happy and grateful that I was able to reach people with this project.
Tell us about your background. How did you decide to study at JCU with a major in Communications and a minor in Art and Design?
I was born and raised in Rome, and I studied at a Liceo Classico. After high school, I wanted to apply to JCU, but my English was not good enough, so I decided to study in Los Angeles for six months to improve it. When I came back, I enrolled at Sapienza University of Rome for a year to study Humanities. During that time, I discovered what I was really interested in, namely filmmaking, documentaries, and investigative journalism.
I had friends who had attended JCU, so I asked questions about the courses and made up my mind. I transferred to John Cabot University and chose a major in Communications, with a focus on journalism. I chose an Art and Design minor because I’m a creative person.
JCU gave me the opportunity to experiment, both in my major and minor courses. I had the possibility to try different mediums, and learn how to tell a story, be it through photography, video, or editing. It gave me the opportunity to discover myself. When you are a young creative person, you don’t really know what to focus your energies on, but by experimenting with new things every day, you get to understand what is best for you. I really appreciate that about JCU, because it allowed me to understand and discover myself, my passions, and my strengths.
What are your plans for the future?
I want to do what makes me happy and what makes me feel useful to our society. I would like to continue to find ways to denounce injustice through photography and video. But at the same time, I think it’s important to show that there is beauty in our world, too. I want to tell stories that can have an impact.
Do you have any advice for prospective JCU students who wish to embark on the same path as you?
I can tell you that it is not easy, but if you believe in something, if you feel like you have a fire inside, then it’s the right path, even if it’s difficult and demands sacrifices. For instance, I won this award four years after my graduation. It’s a slow approach because these things can’t happen quickly – it takes a lot of time and a lot of humility, but every minute spent on it is worth it. You have to believe in what you do: when there is passion, there is everything.
