Reporter gets penalized over ‘body-shaming’ Meloni
Date
7/21/2024 7:01:58 AM
(MENAFN) A Milan court has ordered journalist Giulia Cortese to pay EUR5,000 (USD5,465) in damages to Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni following a case of online body-shaming. The court deemed Cortese’s remarks on social media, which targeted Meloni's height, as "defamatory" and an act of "body-shaming." Additionally, Cortese received a suspended fine of EUR1,200 and retains the right to appeal the decision.
The case traces back to October 2021 when Cortese shared a manipulated image of Meloni with a background photo of the late fascist leader Benito Mussolini. At the time, Meloni, then an opposition leader, challenged the journalist online about the photo. In response, Cortese made derogatory comments about Meloni’s height, specifically saying: “You don’t scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you’re only 1.2 meters (4 feet) tall. I can’t even see you.”
Meloni condemned the doctored photo as “of unique gravity” and announced she had instructed her lawyer to pursue legal action against the “despicable hoax.” While the court ruled that the Mussolini image did not breach any laws, it sided with Meloni regarding the offensive comments about her stature.
In response to the ruling, Cortese expressed on X (formerly Twitter) that “Italy’s government has a serious problem with freedom of expression and journalistic dissent.” This incident marks another instance of Meloni taking legal action against journalists; in October, anti-mafia reporter Roberto Saviano was fined EUR1,000 plus legal costs for derogatory remarks about Meloni’s anti-immigration policies.
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