More barriers needed to protect media says commissioner
The European Commission said Tuesday it was seeing “negative” media trends in Slovakia and in Italy, where Rai state broadcaster unions have struck against becoming an alleged government ‘mouthpiece’ and where the second biggest press agency is set to be sold to a ruling League MP and rightwing media baron.
“We are monitoring different kinds of negative trends in the media in Italy and Slovakia”, said Vera Jourova, Vice-President of the EU Commission and commissioner in charge of values and transparency, during a briefing organised with the international press after a mission to the US where she met the CEOs of Big Tech.
Jourova stressed the need for “more barriers” to protect the media in the two countries mentioned.
Premier Giorgia Meloni has denied taking over Rai though she has said she is ‘rebalancing’ it after years of alleged leftwing bias.
Meanwhile League MP and rightwing newspaper proprietor Antonio Angelucci is still favourite to buy AGI, second to ANSA among the nation’s news agencies, from state controlled energy giant Eni.
Italy recently dropped five slots to 46th in the latest world press freedom report by Reporters Sans Frontieres with the case of AGI being cited as one of the reasons.
Angelucci, owner of conservative dailies Il Giornale, Libero and Il Tempo, is set to get AGI effectively from a top member of his own party, League bigwig and Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, who indirectly controls Eni.
The RSF report said “an example of some political groups orchestrating the acquisition of the media ecosystem is Giorgia Meloni’s Italy, where a member of her coalition is trying to buy the AGI press agency”.
While Meloni and Giorgetti say it is an anomaly for the State to own a news agency, even indirectly, AGI’s journalists have struck against the proposed Angelucci deal and Italy’s journalists’ union and liberal politicians have voiced concerns over freedom of the press and conflicts of interest.
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