with: Tomaso Montanari, Art historian and rector of Università per gli Stranieri, Siena and Sielke Kelner Researcher and activist at Media Freedom Rapid Response, OBCT

Moderator: Massimiliano Tarantino, Director of Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli

Over the past year, the Meloni government has come under intense scrutiny for its alarming censorship practices targeting journalists and media. In July 2024 the European Commission Report on media freedom in Italy has highlighted how since its election the Meloni government is growingly interfering in the public opinion and media, and this including by actions of pressure on independent journalists and attempts to silence critical voices through legal threats and funding cuts. Remarkably, the intimidation of investigative reporters covering sensitive political topics has escalated, with some facing personal harassment and others blacklisted by state media. These tactics represent a broader erosion of press freedom, undermining democratic discourse and access to unbiased information. In a public interview format the intellectual Tomaso Montanari and the researcher and activist Sielke Kelner will share, moderated by Massimiliano Tarantino, their perspectives offering insight into the struggles for free press in the most politicized Italy ever.