Italian journalist Giulia Cortese has been ordered to pay Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni €5,000 in damages over tweets mocking her height, deemed by the judge as defamatory “body shaming.” This legal battle stemmed from a social media spat in October 2021, where Cortese posted an image of Meloni with a fake Mussolini photo, sparking outrage.
Despite initially deleting the image, Cortese accused Meloni of orchestrating a media attack, ultimately resulting in the derogatory height-related tweets. Meloni, who stands at 1.63m, won the lawsuit and pledged to donate the damages to charity. Cortese criticized the verdict, highlighting concerns for freedom of expression in Italy and comparing the situation to Hungary’s restricting media environment.
The clash underscores the delicate balance between freedom of speech and respectful discourse in journalism and social media. As both parties contemplate their next steps, the debate over where to draw the line between criticism and defamation continues in the Italian media landscape.