A judge in Milan has ordered an Italian journalist to pay nearly $5,500 in damages to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for mocking her height in social media posts.
The judge ruled on Wednesday that two social media posts by journalist Giulia Cortese, who was also handed a suspended fine of about $1,300, amounted to “body shaming.”
The prime minister’s attorney said she would donate the fine to charity if the sentence against Cortese is confirmed and the money is paid.
In October 2021, when Meloni was still in opposition, Cortese posted a digitally altered picture on X showing the conservative politician standing in front of a bookshelf with an image of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini in the background.
La giornalista Giulia Cortese ha pubblicato una foto taroccata in cui appare la foto di Mussolini a casa della Meloni. Scoperta la cosa e poi denunciata dalla diretta interessata, la Cortese (poco per la verità 😂😂)ha immediatamente cancellato il post da Twitter. pic.twitter.com/evi4IdKICP
— AlessandraOd00 (@AlessandraOdri) October 14, 2021
Meloni reacted on Facebook by saying that the fake image was of “unique gravity” and announced that she would take legal action.
In the exchange that followed, Cortese described Meloni as a “little woman.”
She then wrote in a separate post: “You don’t scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you’re only 1.2 meters tall. I can’t even see you.”
Should this fine be overturned?
That translates to less than 4 feet tall.
Italian media report that Meloni’s height is between 5 feet, 2 inches and 5 feet, 4 inches, though she has never officially disclosed it.
Reacting to the judge’s verdict, Cortese said late Thursday that the Italian government has a “serious problem with freedom of expression and journalistic dissent.”
She wrote that “these are bad times for independent Journalists and opinion leaders. Let’s hope for better days ahead.”
Italy’s government has a serious problem with freedom of expression and journalistic dissent. This country seems to get closer to Orbán’s Hungary: these are bad times for independent Journalists and opinion leaders. Let’s hope for better days ahead. We won’t give up!@Reuters https://t.co/sWojOlMJz1
— Giulia Cortese (@GiuliaCortese1) July 18, 2024
She added that she may consider appealing the verdict.
Meloni’s government has been accused by the left-wing opposition of using legal action to put pressure on journalists and critics.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
