Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper). The European Greens have called on the European Commission to “protect” media freedom in Italy in response to what they call “alarming interference by the far-right Meloni government” just weeks before the European elections.
The Italian majority has relaxed the rules on political airtime.
The Greens say this means that from now on, campaign rallies can be broadcast without any journalistic moderation.
These measures have provoked an unprecedented reaction from RAI journalists
Last Friday, the presenters of all three news programs read out a statement from the journalists’ unions denouncing the government for “turning RAI into a government megaphone.”
Bas Eickhout, lead candidate of the European Greens, said: “Meloni wants to turn the Italian media into unrestricted propaganda channels for the ruling parties Fratelli d’Italia (ECR), Lega (ID) and Forza Italia (EPP).”
The MEP said, “A free and independent press is a prerequisite for fair and free elections. These interferences by the Meloni government – which includes a member party of von der Leyen’s European People’s Party – undermine press freedom and the fair election process”.
Terry Reintke, the lead candidate for the European Greens, adds: “We call on the European Commission to investigate this from the point of view of press freedom, to open proceedings, and to impose sanctions if necessary.
“The media are the guardians of democracy. We cannot accept that Meloni is trying to turn them into a megaphone for her government. We stand with journalists in Italy and across Europe who are courageously fighting for press freedom and truth”.
The Greens also report that the far-right League MP Antonio Angelucci “is trying to buy Italy’s second largest press agency, Agenzia Giornalistica Italiana, and the Italian Senate debates on the possibility of a ban on working as a journalist, a violation of international law according to Reporters without borders.”
