Media, politics, and vexatious lawsuits - An Italian perspective
Channel: OBC Transeuropa
Date: 2023-08-24

An excerpt from the 2023 MFRR Summit dedicated to “Press Freedom on the Line” - which took place from the 29 to the 31 of March dedicated to the spreading of the SLAPP phenomenon in Italy. Recently, Italy has drawn the attention of several international organisations working on media freedom. A cause for concern is the rapid succession of defamation lawsuits and subsequent legal proceedings against Italian journalists and intellectuals brought up by politicians and high-ranking public figures. By exploring the case study of Italian newspaper Domani – which in a matter of months has been respectively threatened to be sued and sued by two high profile public figures – the discussion focused on defamation, SLAPPs, and the challenges Italian media face when reporting on public figures.

Speaker:
Francesca De Benedetti, Journalist, Domani
Interviewer:
Dr. Sielke Beata Kelner, Researcher and Advocacy officer, Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa