Italian journalist Giulia Cortese has been ordered by Milan court to pay Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni damages of €5,000 (approximately $5,400) for making fun of her height in a social media post.
The court deemed this incident as “body shaming” which occurred in October 2021
Additionally, Cortese received a suspended fine of €1,200 ($1,300) for her jibe on Twitter, now named X.
“Italy’s government has a serious problem with freedom of expression and journalistic dissent,” said Cortese in response to the verdict.
It is important to mention that the legal battle between Meloni and Cortese started three years ago when the two women came to blows on social media.
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Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party was in opposition at that tie.
Meloni took legal action after Cortese posted a mocked-up photo of her with an image of the late fascist leader Benito Mussolini in the background.
The fight intensified when Cortese tweeted, stating, “you don’t scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you’re only 1.2 meters (4 feet) tall. I can’t even see you.”
Non credo proprio. Non mi fai paura, @GiorgiaMeloni. Oltretutto sei alta un metro e venti. Non ti vedo neanche. https://t.co/rjV5A814vv
— Giulia Cortese (@GiuliaCortese1) October 12, 2021
According to the sources, Meloni’s height is between 1.58 meters (5 feet 2 inches) and 1.63 meters (5 feet 4 inches).
After the verdict, Cortese has still the right to appeal the sentence.
Meanwhile, Meloni’s lawyer maintained that all the fine awarded would be donated to charity.
Writing on X, Cortese raised concerns about independent journalists in Italy, stating, “Let’s hope for better days ahead.
We won’t give up!” The high number of lawsuits against journalists in Italy was highlighted by Reporters Without Borders, which ranked the country 46th in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index, a drop of five places.
This is not the first time Meloni has taken action against a journalist,
Last year, a Rome court fined author Roberto Saviano €1,000 ($1,088) plus legal expenses after he criticized her on television in 2021 over her strict stance on illegal immigration.
