With Defamation Suits, Italy’s Govt Squeezes Media Freedom

It's not the first time that Durigon has filed a criminal complaint against media professionals, nor is he the only member of the current government to have done so.

Four are currently involved in ongoing lawsuits against media workers. Meloni herself is involved in at least two against journalists and intellectuals, part of what European media watchdogs say is an "alarming trend" of Italian government officials responding to critical media coverage with lawsuits.

"Investigations have become more and more complex, but this one was a simple news piece," Tizian told BIRN. "I mean, we have exceeded every limit - if we can't even write news anymore, what's left for us to do?"

On media freedom, Italy ranks alongside Balkan States

Italian writer Roberto Saviano addresses the media as he leaves the City of Justice (Citta Giudiziaria) in Rome, Italy, 15 November 2022, following a hearing in a defamation lawsuit from Italy's current prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. Saviano, known for his fight against the mafia, is facing a defamation trial brought against him by Meloni over a 2020 statement criticizing her stance on migrants. EPA-EFE/ANGELO CARCONI

Concerns about media freedom in Italy pre-date Meloni. 

In April last year, the media watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranked the country 58th on its annual media freedom index, a drop of 17 places on the year before. 

The ranking put Italy one place below North Macedonia and in the same place occupied the previous year by Bosnia and Herzegovina, both ex-Yugoslav republics where poorly-paid reporters regularly face censorship, intimidation, and interference from political and business elites.

Tizian had already run into trouble with Meloni's deputy prime minister,...