Report case, opposition motion in the House to stop reckless lawsuits
The general debate on the motions concerning the defence of journalists has begun in the Chamber of Deputies, with M5s-Pd and Avs ready to present a united document that will commit the executive to take initiatives such as the EU directive against reckless lawsuits
Key points
Oppositions are trying to get the government and the majority into trouble on the issue of press freedom. The general debate on the motions concerning the defence of journalists has begun in the Chamber of Deputies, with M5s-Pd and Avs ready to present a united document that will commit the executive to take initiatives such as the EU directive against reckless lawsuits on which the government has not yet responded.
FdI: Report against government, majority motion to protect good journalism
The centre-right will intervene in the debate with its own deputies, but has not yet presented its own text, which is expected in the coming days. "I renew my sincere solidarity with Sigfrido Ranucci", "but this does not prevent us from harshly criticising the format and modus operandi of the programme that in fact wants to prevent" the "centre-right executive from governing and appointing people we consider worthy". "We will present a majority motion to protect good journalism, the quality of information, true impartiality and true pluralism," said FdI deputy Federico Mollicone in the Chamber. "We will present a question: that of Report and other newspapers" is not always "investigative journalism" but "militant and thesis journalism", he added.
The EU directive against reckless suits
The great prominence that the attack on Report anchorman Sigfrido Ranucci on 16 October has had in public opinion has convinced the opposition to relaunch a number of issues concerning press freedom, starting with the EU directive against reckless lawsuits (so-called anti-Slapp) and the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) regulation on pluralism in the media. Last week the executive had given a negative opinion to the amendments of the PD (first signatory Piero De Luca) and M5s to the European delegation law that aimed to transpose the anti-Slapp directive. De Luca let it be known that he does not intend to give up and that he will resubmit the amendment in the House.
The M5s motion
In the meantime, M5s has filed a long motion on freedom of the press (first signatory Federico Cafiero De Raho) that has allowed the issue to be put on the agenda. The text will probably be voted on Tuesday of next week, because the assembly in Montecitorio must first vote on three bills. Days will be needed for the executive to choose what strategy to adopt when giving opinions on the motions and for the majority to file its own document.
Towards a unified text of oppositions
In the meantime, M5s, Pd and Avs have announced that the united motion will follow the commitments contained in De Raho's document. The latter takes its cue from the recent attack on Ranucci and, in its preamble, describes 'a climate unfavourable to journalists' freedom of the press, also demonstrated by the fine of 150,000 euros imposed on the Report programme by the Privacy Guarantor'. The motion recalls how 'in the Reporters Without Borders (Rsf) press freedom ranking, Italy has dropped to 49th place (out of 180 countries), moving from the "satisfactory" category in 2023 to "problematic" in 2025'.
