Rule reminder
In formal and journalistic Italian, cleft sentences are used strategically to guide the reader's attention, introduce new information, or contrast with previous statements. Formal Italian may prefer 'fu...che' (passato remoto) over 'è stato...che'. Academic writing often uses clefts to structure arguments: 'È proprio qui che risiede il problema' (It is precisely here that the problem lies). Journalistic Italian uses clefts for dramatic effect in headlines and leads.
A newspaper headline reads: 'È la corruzione che mina le istituzioni.' What is the rhetorical effect of the cleft?