In the past days the European Commissionin its report on the Rule of Law in all member states, stated among other things that “journalists, in Italy, continue to face a series of challenges in the exercise of their profession” and added that “the government of Rome must guarantee the independence and adequate funding for Italian public radio and television, RAI”.

The prime minister Georgia Meloni, however, does not agree with these findings and recommendations. In a letter to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, she decided to significantly raise the tone: “We regret that even the Commission’s report on the rule of law in the EU and the freedom of the public broadcaster did not escape the professionals of misinformation,” writes Meloni. He believes that “false news and unacceptable assessments of certain media were used”, which “try to hurt the Italian government”.

Are the changes “normal evolution”?

The president of the “Brothers of Italy” basically denies that her government is trying to exercise control over RAI and points out that the law allowing the government to appoint the board members of the public broadcaster was passed by the center-left government of Matteo Renzi in 2015 In her letter to Ursula von der Leyenat the same time, writes that any changes of persons in the presentation of journalistic shows are due to “normal developments of the free market”.

However, there is a series of elements that do not coincide with these findings and positions. In their comments online, viewers of the RAI news channel complain that there is a serious lack of information in relation to the past. The press recalls, among other things, that no special tribute was broadcast on the results of the second round of the French parliamentary elections. At the same time, according to the latest data, the viewership of RAI’s broadcasts is decreasing, while many well-known journalists and presenters have decided to leave, after many years, public broadcasting and work with the private sector.

Everyone, now, is waiting to see if something will change from September with the start of the new TV season, or if the recommendations and interventions of Brussels will continue, possibly in even stronger tones.