“Telemoni” – that is the nickname for the Italian broadcaster RAI. The accusation: Prime Minister Meloni wants to expand her influence on the station. Now there is a new scandal and parts of the station are calling for it.
Antonio Scurati is a respected writer, not only in Italy. The 54-year-old has received several awards and has dealt particularly intensively with fascism. For his novel “M. The Son of the Century” about Benito Mussolini, he received the most important Italian literary prize, the Premio Strega.
Scurati was commissioned by the public broadcaster RAI to read a speech on the day of liberation from fascism. But at short notice Scurati was disinvited again and was no longer allowed to give his speech. But the presenter of the show doesn’t want to accept that and quickly decides to read out his words in front of the camera.
Scandal surrounding Scurati is spreading widely
A passage from Scurati states: “As long as those who govern us do not utter the word anti-fascism, the specter of fascism will continue to haunt the house of Italian democracy.” It is a clear criticism of Prime Minister Meloni, because to date the leader of the Fratelli d’Italia party has not distanced herself from her party’s fascist legacy.
He was turned down for ideological and political reasons, says Scurati, who also teaches at the University of Milan. Compared to the ARD Studio Rome he says: “I criticized the fact that, during the 19 months of Meloni’s government, the Prime Minister insisted on the reading of history that corresponds to her neo-fascist background, i.e. she shifted the blame for the slaughter and massacres onto the German Nazis, even though they Salò’s fascists were accomplices and collaborators.”
The media scandal surrounding Scurati is spreading widely. The outrage is great. According to the accusation, the right-wing government has been intervening directly in the RAI program through its followers for a long time.
The spokeswoman for the morning news therefore reads out a protest from the journalists’ union in front of the camera. It is said that the RAI’s top leadership’s control over the news is becoming more and more oppressive with each passing day. “We are faced with an omnipresent control system that violates the principles of journalistic work.”
Popular show host leaves the station
The fact that parties in Italy are claiming direct access to the public broadcaster RAI is nothing new. But as part of a legal reform, the institution has become more dependent on the respective government since 2016.
Shortly after the Meloni government took office in October 2022, influential managers were replaced and well-known journalists and presenters such as Fabio Fazio, Bianca Berlinguer and Lucia Annunziata left. Now Amadeus has also turned his back on the RAI; the popular show host has repeatedly achieved dream ratings with his program.
The government doesn’t seem to be impressed by this; it is trying to increase its own influence. For example, the ministers of the Meloni government should be given more speaking time in the European election campaign. That would be undermining the so-called “par conditiono” law, according to which all parties must receive the same amount of broadcasting time. The resistance was massive, and the plans are apparently off the table for the time being. Nevertheless, Alessandra Costante is very worried about press freedom in her homeland.
She is the general secretary of the journalists’ union FNSI. The space for free and independent information is becoming ever smaller. According to them, this is an attack on Article 21 of the Constitution, the article that states that information must be free and not subject to restrictions. This article also establishes the right and duty of journalists to inform.
Journalists’ Union announces strike
At the RAI, the journalists’ union Usigrai has announced a five-day strike. The head of government herself rejects any influence; Meloni sees the censorship allegations as a campaign. She says: “If you do something badly, then it’s right to criticize. But if you invent something in order to criticize, then, frankly, that’s not a good service.”
According to the RAI, the contract with the writer Scurati was terminated because of his high fee demands, which were said to be around 1,800 euros.
He denies this. In Scurati’s eyes, this is a vulgar pretext, a lie. The sum that Meloni mentioned was incorrect. “You launch a personal attack and thus postpone the problem. I discredit you, I insult you, I attack you personally.” He draws a comparison with history: “100 years ago that was the fascist method. Don’t talk about content, but attack the person.”
Elisabeth Pongratz, ARD Rome, tagesschau, April 23, 2024 12:29 a.m