Journalist Told To Pay 5000 Euros For Mocking Italy PM Giorgia Meloni's Height
NDTV
A high number of lawsuits brought against journalists was cited this year by Reporters Without Borders, which relegated Italy five places to 46th in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
A Milan court has ordered a journalist to pay Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni damages of 5,000 euros ($5,465) for making fun of her in a social media post, news agency ANSA and other local media reported. Italy's government has a serious problem with freedom of expression and journalistic dissent. This country seems to get closer to Orbán's Hungary: these are bad times for independent Journalists and opinion leaders. Let's hope for better days ahead. We won't give up!@Reutershttps://t.co/sWojOlMJz1
The journalist, Giulia Cortese, was also given a suspended fine of 1,200 euros for a jibe on Twitter, now named X, in Oct. 2021 about Meloni's height, which was defined as "body shaming".
In a response to a Reuters story on the verdict, Cortese wrote on X on Thursday: "Italy's government has a serious problem with freedom of expression and journalistic dissent."
