Lando Ferretti

Lando Ferretti (2 May 1895 in Pontedera, Province of Pisa – 8 January 1977 in Rome) was an Italian journalist, politician and sports administrator.

After studying law and letters at the University of Pisa Ferretti became a journalist, interrupting his career for army service in the First World War. Following the war he worked for the Italian administration in the newly added territory of Trentino. He then returned to journalism, serving as director of La Gazzetta dello Sport from 1919 to 1924, editor of the Il Secolo XIX from 1924 to 1926 and editor of the Corriere della Sera from 1927 to 1928.

Ferretti was an early member of the National Fascist Party and was in the Lamarmora column during the March on Rome. He held a number of positions afterwards, notably head of the journalists syndicate, which he dominated along with Giorgio Pini and Telesio Interlandi, a deputy from 1924 to 1940, a member of the Grand Fascist Council and an officer in the Blackshirts. In 1926 he was appointed press secretary to Benito Mussolini and in 1928 was promoted to head of the official press office, a role in which he significantly expanded state censorship. Ferretti particularly focused on the regional press, which had often been ignored by central government, and forced it to adhere to a Professional code of conduct that he established in order to ensure a pro-fascist outlook. To this end he established a propaganda section of the press office. Ferretti's reforms even covered the reporting of crime, financial incompetence or the failure of businesses and banks, all of which were severely restricted due to fears that they might reflect badly on the government, which consistently claimed Italy was only progressing in both economic and social terms. Ferretti was succeeded as press office chief by Gaetano Polverelli in December 1931.

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