Threats against the president of Italian journalists’ federation

The president of the Italian Federation of Journalists (FNSI), Beppe Giulietti, has been the target of a campaign of harassment and intimidation on social networks since 18 August. The campaign is fuelled by online accounts that advocate extreme right-wing theses. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) calls for justice to respond. On August 7, the daily newspaper “Libero” issued an article saying that migrants had killed and eaten five dogs belonging to a resident of Lampedusa. Several journalists including Angela Caponnetto of Rai News 24 and Nello Scavo of the newspaper “Avvenire” proved that this  was false information not based on…

Conference: The Challenges of European Journalism

Italian MEP Isabella De Monte is organising the event “THE CHALLENGES OF EUROPEAN JOURNALISM” which will be held in Brussels at the European Parliament, room ASP 3H1, on Tuesday, November 27th from 15:00 h to 17:00 h. Fake news is one of the biggest challenges facing the media today. The authenticity of information has become an issue affecting the society and our democracy, both for printed and digital media. On social networks, the reach and effects of information spread occur at such a fast pace and so amplified that distorted, inaccurate or false information acquires a tremendous potential to cause real…

Italy: Deputy Prime Minister Di Maio insulted journalists

On November 10 2018, in occasion of the acquittal of Virginia Raggi, the mayor of Rome who was charged with forgery in relation to the appointment of Renato Marra as head of the Tourism Department, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio and the Five Stars Movement MP Alessandro Di Battista attacked again Italian journalists. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Italian affiliate, Federazione Nazionale della Stampa Italiana (FNSI), in organising a protest action  on November 13 to speak out against these systematic attacks against the press in Italy with the hashtag #GiùLeManiDallInformazione (Hands off the information).…

Mondadori: EFJ Steering Committee supports Italian journalists affected by the sale of Panorama magazine

The Steering Committee of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today expressed solidarity with Italian journalists affected by the sale of the magazine “Panorama” by the big publishing company Mondadori. Anna del Freo, EFJ Steering Committee member and deputy General Secretary of the Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana (FNSI), was invited at the occasion of the trade union assembly to assist her colleagues, whose working conditions will seriously be deteriorated. Mondadori’s recent decision to sell Panorama to La Verità will force the 24 journalists working for the magazine to accept the cut of their salary by 45%. This was their only choice – the alternative was…

Mafia aggressor against an Italian journalist condemned

On 28th September, the Italian court of Ragusa sentenced the aggressor of Paolo Borrometi, a 44 years old freelance investigative journalist and the president of Articolo 21, the Italian association promoting freedom of expression. Venerando Lauretta was sentenced for the death threats he made against the journalist, aggravated by the mafia method, to one year and six months imprisonment. Lauretta, regent of the mafia clan Carbonaro-Dominante of Vittoria (Ragusa), begun to threaten Borrometi after identifying the journalist as responsible for the opening of investigations against his person. Paolo Borrometi is the editor of anti-mafia investigative website LaSpia.it, where he reports on the Sicilian…

EFJ condemns Italian government threat to cut indirect state funding to newspapers

Italian government threatens to cut indirect state funding to the press, accusing newspapers of “polluting the debate”. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) join their affiliate the Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana (FNSI) in strongly condemning these threats and expressing serious concerns over the press situation in Italy. The government’s announcement was made on 12 September and throughout last week by Luigi Di Maio, head of the populist Five Star Movement (M5S) and key figure in Italy’s government. On his Facebook account, the deputy prime minister threatened the press in a post saying that…

Italy: Journalist Roberto Saviano sued for defamation by Minister of Interior Matteo Salvini

Italian journalist and writer Roberto Saviano has been sued by the Minister of Interior Matteo Salvini on 20 June under allegations on defamation. The lawsuit was a result of a Twitter thread about the reconsideration of the journalist’s police escort and Salvini’s migration policy, calling for reaction from the Minister to a recent incident where a refugee woman and a child were found drowned in the Mediterranean sea. Saviano named him “a buffon” and “minister of the underworld”. Matteo Salvini, minister of interior, deputy prime minister and the leader of the right-wing League party, has been receiving critics from local and…

Italy: Several journalists facing threats related to their stories

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ/IFJ) have raised their concerns over the repetitive attacks and acts of intimidation against journalists in Italy in the last few weeks. They stand in solidarity with their Italian affiliate, the Federazione Nazionale Della Stampa Italiana (FNSI), and the Italian journalists who are experiencing those threats. On 12th of July investigative journalist Marilù Mastrogiovanni of Apulian newspaper Il Tacco was targeted with death threats flooding her work email. Il Tacco reported that this was not the journalist’s first case of intimidation, and that the level of protection for her and her family had been increased. The local authorities are investigating the…

XV Congresso Usigrai

The EFJ GS Ricardo Gutiérrez will attend Usigrai (FNSI) Congress.

Trasparenza e libertà di informazione nello Stato di diritto

A Roma, alla Protomoteca del Campidoglio. Crediti per i giornalisti. Tavola rotonda: i rischi dei giornalisti e i sistemi di protezione. Patrocinio Unesco “Trasparenza e libertà di informazione nello Stato di diritto. Giornalisti minacciati e sistemi di protezione”: è questo l’argomento del Convegno internazionale organizzato da AGCOM e Ossigeno per l’Informazione, con il patrocinio dell’UNESCO e in collaborazione con l’Ordine dei Giornalisti del Lazio, che si svolgerà martedì 8 maggio 2018 a Roma. L’evento è inserito nel programma europeo delle celebrazioni per la Giornata Mondiale per la Libertà di Stampa, indetta dall’ONU. Il Convegno è aperto al pubblico ed è riconosciuto dall’Ordine…