Reporters plan to go on strike next month to protest the right-wing government‘s “repressive control” of Italy‘s state-owned broadcaster RAI, raising concerns that the broadcaster is under political influence.
RAI employees have been complaining about a variety of issues, including government efforts to turn the organization into its mouthpiece. The reporters’ union Usigrai has announced a 24-hour strike on 6 May, raising other issues such as staff shortages and the cancellation of performance bonuses.
Following the inauguration of Italy’s Prime Minister since 2022, Giorgia Meloni, many top executives and presenters have left RAI, a sign of discontent with government interference. Critics have raised concerns over a draft law by Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party that increases defamation offenses.
The problem of RAI being under political influence has been going on for a long time. Last weekend, an appearance on a talk show by Antonio Scurati, an anti-fascist writer and academic, was canceled at the last minute, raising concerns.
Scurati was reported to have criticized Meloni’s party and accused the prime minister of rewriting history in a speech on a national holiday celebrating Italy’s liberation from fascism. However, television officials and the Prime Minister have maintained that Scurati’s monologue was not censored and that the broadcast was only omitted for “editorial reasons”.
Meloni acknowledges that his party’s roots go back to the Mussolini era but refrains from describing himself as “anti-fascist”. Senior positions at RAI have been given to loyal supporters of the government, making the organization’s independence questionable.
The announcement by RAI reporters that the smaller Unirai union will not participate in the strike indicates that the union does not see this action as a political protest.
Also sourced from Reuters
