A court in Milan has ordered freelance journalist Giulia Cortese to pay Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni €5,000 in damages for defamatory and body-shaming social media posts.
Cortese was also given a suspended fine of €1,200 for a comment on Twitter (now named X) in October 2021 about Meloni’s height, which was deemed body-shaming.
This legal action was initiated by Meloni after a social media clash, where Cortese posted a mocked-up photo of Meloni with fascist leader Benito Mussolini in the background, and subsequently made derogatory comments about Meloni’s height.
The court acquitted Cortese regarding the photo with Mussolini, ruling it did not constitute a crime. Cortese has the option to appeal the sentence. Meloni’s lawyer mentioned that any damages received would be donated to charity.
In response to the Reuters story on the verdict, Cortese tweeted: “Italy’s government has a serious problem with freedom of expression and journalistic dissent.”
Reporters Without Borders noted a high number of lawsuits against journalists in Italy, which contributed to the country’s drop to 46th place in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
This is not the first time Meloni has taken legal action against journalists; she previously won a case against author Roberto Saviano for insulting her on television over her stance on illegal immigration.
Additionally, journalists at the Italian state broadcaster RAI went on strike in May to protest against what they called “suffocating control” by Meloni’s government
