New Delhi: Posting a joke on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on social media proved costly for a journalist who was ordered to pay a compensation of 5,000 euros ($5,465) to the latter, according to media reports. The journalist, identified as Giulia Cortese, was also fined 1,200 euros by the Milan court for making fun of Meloni.
In October 2021, the journalist has posted a joke on Meloni’s height which was described as “body shaming”.
Following the news reports on the verdict, Cortese accused the Italy’s government of having “serious problem with freedom of expression.”
Responding to news reports, she tweeted, “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!(sic).”
Cortese was acquitted over the tweet wherein she compared Meloni to Mussolini, but she was convicted of defaming the latter as the Milan judge said that it amounted to “body shaming”.
The Italian PM had initiated a legal action against the journalist after the two women clashed on social media three years ago.
Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party was in opposition at the time, took exception when Cortese published a mocked-up photo of her with a picture of the late fascist leader Benito Mussolini in the background.
Cortese can appeal against the court verdict. Media reports citing Meloni’s lawyer said the prime minister would donate to charity any damages that she eventually receives.
This is not the first instance when Meloni has taken a journalist to court. Earlier in 2023, a Rome court had fined best-selling author Roberto Saviano 1,000 euros plus legal expenses after he insulted her on television in 2021 over her hardline stance on illegal immigration.
Journalist Told to Pay Giorgia Meloni 5,000 Euros for Social Media Post Mocking Her Height world-news World News | Latest International Global World News | Todays Breaking News Headlines
