Italian press freedom declines under Meloni’s government; EU calls for action against media attacks and state interference.
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An organization protecting journalists released a report detailing the decline of press freedom in Italy during Giorgia Meloni’s nearly two-year government, noting that legal and rhetorical attacks by politicians against media and individual journalists have more than doubled compared to the preceding period. European journalistic and civic organizations urged then-Commissioner Vera Jourova to investigate the situation, which the European Commission has now also acknowledged in its rule of law report, stating that violations of press freedom are evident and action is needed. The report criticizes insufficient independence of public media, legal intimidation of journalists by politicians, and conflicts of interest in the media market, concluding that this trend signals a decline in democratic freedoms in Italy. Political interference in the management of the state broadcaster RAI has reached unprecedented levels under Meloni’s government, exemplified by leadership changes. The report documents escalating attacks on journalists, with the most recent being a violent assault on editor Andrea Joly by radicals from the neo-fascist group CasaPound; while Meloni condemned the attack, she faced criticism for not specifically naming or linking the incident to the far-right movement. European organizations are calling on the Commission to initiate proceedings against Italy under new media freedom legislation.
