A Milan court has ordered journalist Giulia Cortese to pay damages to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for mocking her on social media, raising concerns about press freedom in Italy.
A Milan court has ordered journalist Giulia Cortese to pay Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni €5,000 ($5,465) for mocking her in a social media post, according to reports from news agency ANSA and other local outlets. The ruling also includes a suspended fine of €1,200 related to a tweet from October 2021 that Meloni deemed "body shaming," which criticized her height.
At the time, Meloni was leading the opposition with her far-right party, Brothers of Italy. Cortese's contentious post featured a manipulated image of Meloni alongside a depiction of Benito Mussolini, the notorious fascist leader. In subsequent tweets, Cortese further taunted Meloni, highlighting her height and asserting, "You don't scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you're only 1.2 meters tall. I can't even see you."
While Meloni's height has been reported between 1.58 m and 1.63 m, Cortese has the option to appeal the court's decision. Meloni's legal counsel indicated that any damages awarded would be donated to charity.
This case underscores growing concerns regarding press freedom in Italy, where Reporters Without Borders recently highlighted an increase in lawsuits against journalists, leading to a drop in the country’s ranking to 46th in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index. The Prime Minister has a history of legal action against media figures, including a recent fine levied against author Roberto Saviano for comments about her immigration policies. In May, journalists at the Italian state broadcaster RAI protested perceived governmental overreach in their reporting.
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