Who's behind the news?
Who's behind the news?
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Newsjunkie.net is a resource guide for journalists. We show who's behind the news, and provide tools to help navigate the modern business of information.
Use of Data
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The Archivio Storico della Presidenza della Repubblica came into being with the establishment of the Italian Republic itself. Its foundational nucleus was formed in 1948, when the first President of the Republic took up residence at the Palazzo del Quirinale. The initial documentary core comprised records produced by the Secretariat General and documents from the Royal Household (Ministero della Real Casa), though most of those were subsequently transferred to the Archivio Centrale dello Stato. Custody and management of the archives was formally assigned to the Library and Documentation Service beginning in 1978, and the Historical Archive was officially established during the presidency of Oscar Luigi Scalfaro. A regulation issued in 1998 defined the archive's functions of conservation, ordering, public use, and enhancement of its documentary heritage.
The archive holds approximately 6 kilometres (linear) of documentation produced or received by the Presidency of the Republic in the exercise of its constitutional functions. Collections span the activities of every Italian head of state from 1948 onward and encompass administrative records, diplomatic correspondence, ceremonial files, presidential speeches and messages, and records of executive acts.
The archive preserves over one million images documenting the public activities of the presidents, approximately 20,000 audio and audiovisual recordings of institutional communications, and a complete collection of Italian state postage stamps issued from 1945. It also holds a documentary legacy extending back to the Royal Household from 1870 to 1946, including inventories of the furnishings of Italy's royal residences.
Notable special collections include the Collezione Sergio Zavoli — over 3,000 documentaries, investigative reports, and video interviews produced by the journalist and RAI broadcaster Sergio Zavoli between 1950 and 2020 — and the personal archive of President Emeritus Giorgio Napolitano (1940–2023).
Since 2 June 2018, the Portale storico della Presidenza della Repubblica has progressively made the archive's holdings available online. The portal contains over 70,000 events from the presidential diaries, 440,500 images, 10,787 audiovisual items, 6,865 speeches and statements, and 16,918 archival fonds descriptions, among many other resources.
The archive is open to the public and free to consult. Researchers can access the portal online or visit in person at the Palazzo del Quirinale.