July 19th 2024.
A recent case in Italy has sparked controversy after a journalist was ordered to pay damages to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for making fun of her height on social media. According to reports from the BBC, the judge found that two tweets by Giulia Cortese were defamatory and amounted to "body shaming". As a result, Cortese was ordered to pay €5000 in damages and received a suspended fine of $1950.
The incident took place back in 2021, before Meloni became prime minister. Cortese had posted a photoshopped image of the far-right politician on X (formerly known as Twitter), showing her standing in front of a bookshelf with a framed photo of Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini artificially added. Meloni responded on Facebook, calling the image "of unique gravity" and stating that she would be taking legal action.
Cortese later deleted the image, but accused Meloni of instigating a "media pillory" against her. In a further post, she referred to Meloni as a "little woman". Italian media reports that Meloni's height is 1.63m, while Cortese posted a tweet saying, "You don't scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you're only 1.2m tall. I can't even see you."
The court found Cortese guilty of the later tweets, but cleared her of the initial image. Meloni's lawyer has stated that any money received from the damages will be donated to charity. Meanwhile, Cortese has responded to the verdict on X, claiming that it reflects a loss of media freedoms in Italy. "The government has a serious problem with freedom of expression and journalistic dissent," she wrote.
This case has raised concerns about the freedom of speech and expression in Italy, particularly in the context of social media. While it is important to hold individuals accountable for their actions and words, it is also crucial to protect the right to express oneself freely. The verdict has sparked a debate about the limits of satire and criticism in the public sphere. As this story unfolds, it will be interesting to see how the issue of freedom of expression is addressed in Italy and beyond.
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