The European Commission said Tuesday
it was seeing "negative" media trends in Slovakia and in Italy,
where Rai state broadcaster unions have struck against becoming
an alleged government 'mouthpiece' and where the second biggest
press agency is set to be sold to a ruling League MP and
rightwing media baron.
"We are monitoring different kinds of negative trends in the
media in Italy and Slovakia", said Vera Jourova, Vice-President
of the EU Commission and commissioner in charge of values and
transparency, during a briefing organised with the international
press after a mission to the US where she met the CEOs of Big
Tech.
Jourova stressed the need for "more barriers" to protect the
media in the two countries mentioned.
Premier Giorgia Meloni has denied taking over Rai though she has
said she is 'rebalancing' it after years of alleged leftwing
bias.
Meanwhile League MP and rightwing newspaper proprietor Antonio
Angelucci is still favourite to buy AGI, second to ANSA among
the nation's news agencies, from state controlled energy giant
Eni.
Italy recently dropped five slots to 46th in the latest world
press freedom report by Reporters Sans Frontieres with the case
of AGI being cited as one of the reasons.
Angelucci, owner of conservative dailies Il Giornale, Libero and
Il Tempo, is set to get AGI effectively from a top member of his
own party, League bigwig and Economy Minister Giancarlo
Giorgetti, who indirectly controls Eni.
The RSF report said "an example of some political groups
orchestrating the acquisition of the media ecosystem is Giorgia
Meloni's Italy, where a member of her coalition is trying to buy
the AGI press agency".
While Meloni and Giorgetti say it is an anomaly for the State to
own a news agency, even indirectly, AGI's journalists have
struck against the proposed Angelucci deal and Italy's
journalists' union and liberal politicians have voiced concerns
over freedom of the press and conflicts of interest.
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