Fazzolari: "Was Ranucci being spied on by the government? These are absurd allegations. I'll report him."
The accusation of having activated the secret services to spy on Sigfrido Ranucci is "too serious" to be dropped. And "disturbing" is the suggestion that there is a connection between the bomb attack on the journalist two weeks ago and the government as the instigator. Undersecretary to the Prime Minister's Office Giovanbattista Fazzolari , of the Italian Communist Party (FdI), calls for "clarity" on what is happening and responds to accusations, especially those of the Report host, that he ordered the secret services to spy on him.
"I announced legal action, along with the offer of possible mediation. I would have stopped if Ranucci had denied it. He refused, and yesterday, with Scarpinato's help, he staged another grotesque charade. If you're asked if there's a connection between the attack that struck you and a government official, the answer should be very clear: 'no.' Ranucci, on the contrary, asked for his response to be kept confidential, thus fueling suspicions that there really was a connection," Fazzolari claims. So what will he do now? “If I didn't pursue legal action, I would end up supporting Ranucci's accusations,” he said in an interview with Corriere della Sera. “ If I chose to protect myself, I would be accused of intimidating the press. I can already imagine the headlines in certain newspapers and the tone of the debate on some broadcasts. The accusations are too serious to be ignored. I will evaluate what to do, even though I'm being told from many quarters that it's almost impossible to obtain justice in court with Report . I refuse to believe this is the case, but it doesn't help the image of a journalist with numerous complaints receiving a standing ovation from those who should judge him impartially.” Does Report enjoy some sort of criminal protection? “No one is above the law, and I have too much respect for the judiciary to think so, but the nonchalance with which Report carries out its work is evident. Too often we've seen investigations riddled with completely unfounded accusations, fabricated solely to target someone with the arrogance of someone who doesn't fear legal consequences.”
The issue of the Guarantor and the fine imposed on Ranucci's show. "The members of the Authority were elected in 2020, during the yellow-red government. And in these years no one has doubted their impartiality and authority," Fazzolari continues. "In this specific case, Ghiglia 's vote was irrelevant, because the Guarantor has four members and the vote of the president, who is certainly not a representative of the center-right, counts double." Did he agree with the merits? "I supported the Guarantor's decision, the result of an investigation and a legally-based assessment. But what matters is that an independent authority is being questioned and disqualified because it issued a decision that is unwelcome to Report . I don't want the message to be: don't touch Report if you don't want to suffer media lynching." Could the Rai investigative show be shut down? Of course not, it's not up to the government to decide the schedules of public service broadcasts. In any case, it doesn't cause us any political harm, given that it's widely considered biased and unbiased. However, I do claim the right to criticize a certain way of reporting, based on prepackaged theories and unfounded accusations. Mudslinging has nothing to do with quality journalism, and it's a method we've always opposed. We won't compromise, and we won't be intimidated, because we have nothing to hide.
That said, the Undersecretary to the Prime Minister's Office hopes that "the Rome Prosecutor's Office is doing everything possible to quickly identify those responsible for such a serious act. It's clear that someone is trying to exploit this despicable episode to attack the government, making it a political issue at all costs," he argues. "First, Schlein , leader of the main opposition party, says that with the center-right in government, democracy is at risk and journalists are being attacked. Then Scarpinato , a prominent member of the Five Star Movement, even goes to the Anti-Mafia Commission to ask the host of Report if there is a connection between that attack and a government official, myself. I'd say the limit of decency has been far exceeded."
The reactions
Fazzolari's words sparked initial reactions from the opposition. The accusations against Roberto Scarpinato of "exploiting" the attack on Sigfrido Ranucci would be frankly laughable, if it weren't for the concern," commented Dolores Bevilacqua, a Five Star Movement representative on the RAI Oversight Committee. " Because seeing one of the government's leading figures point the finger at a magistrate who has dedicated his life to fighting the Mafia and at Italy's most prominent investigative journalist, just days after an attack that put his life and that of his family at risk, says a lot about the depths to which politics in this country has sunk since Giorgia Meloni took office."
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