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Italian PM Meloni slams ’illiberal drift’ after comedian quits TV show
| USA | economy

Italian PM Meloni slams ’illiberal drift’ after comedian quits TV show

#Giorgia Meloni #RAI #Amadeus #Censorship #Italy #State Broadcaster #Press Freedom

📌 Key Takeaways

  • Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni rejected claims that her government is forcing an 'illiberal drift' within Italy's public media.
  • The controversy follows the high-profile exit of TV presenter Amadeus from the state-owned broadcaster RAI.
  • The Italian opposition and media unions are accusing the coalition government of political censorship and ideological purging.
  • Meloni argues the changes are necessary to end the historical dominance of left-wing influence in national culture.

📖 Full Retelling

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issued a robust defense of her government’s cultural policies in Rome on Monday, following public accusations of an 'illiberal drift' and censorship within the national media landscape. The controversy was ignited by the sudden departure of popular comedian and television presenter Amadeus from the state broadcaster RAI, which critics claim is the result of increasing political pressure on artists who do not align with the governing right-wing coalition's ideology. Meloni countered these claims by asserting that her administration is merely attempting to rebalance a media environment that has been dominated by left-leaning perspectives for decades. The departure of Amadeus, a household name in Italy who hosted the prestigious Sanremo Music Festival, serves as the latest flashpoint in an ongoing battle over the editorial direction of RAI. Opposition leaders and various media unions have expressed alarm over what they perceive as a systematic effort to purge dissenting voices and install loyalists in key creative and managerial positions. This perceived shift has led to several high-profile exits and public protests from journalists who argue that the broadcaster's independence is being compromised in favor of a government-friendly narrative. In her public statements, Meloni dismissed the allegations of authoritarianism, characterizing the current transition as a necessary correction rather than a crackdown on free expression. She argued that the Italian public deserves a more diverse range of cultural programming that reflects a broader spectrum of societal values, rather than a monolithic viewpoint. However, the international community and press freedom advocacy groups are monitoring the situation closely, as the debate touches upon the fundamental relationship between political power and public service broadcasting in a modern European democracy. As the government continues to reshape the leadership at RAI, the economic implications for the broadcaster remain a point of concern. With top talent migrating to commercial competitors like Discovery or Mediaset, there are fears that the state channel may lose significant advertising revenue and viewership shares. The struggle for control over Italy’s cultural 'hegemony' continues to polarize the nation, pitting those who see a much-needed cultural revolution against those who fear for the future of pluralism and independent journalism in the country.

🐦 Character Reactions (Tweets)

Giorgio Satirico

Meloni says RAI needs more balance. Balance like a seesaw with her on one side and a feather on the other. #CulturalRebalance

Comedy Critic

Amadeus quits RAI. Next up: Meloni hosting Sanremo. Just imagine the jokes about 'illiberal drifts'! #Sanremo2024

Media Watchdog

RAI's new editorial direction: 'If it's not right, it's not right-wing.' #FreePress

Cultural Commentator

Meloni's vision for RAI: More 'diverse' perspectives, as long as they're all the same. #DiverseViews

💬 Character Dialogue

Lady_Dimitrescu: Ah, the mortals of Italy, so quick to cry 'censorship' when their precious jesters are silenced. How quaint.
Malenia: I, Malenia, Blade of Miquella, have never known defeat. But this... this is a battle of wills, not steel.
Lady_Dimitrescu: The mortals fear the loss of their 'diverse' voices. How amusing, when all they truly desire is the echo of their own hollow words.
Malenia: The gnosis of the people is being twisted, just as the rot spreads through the lands of the Erdtree.
Lady_Dimitrescu: Let them squabble over their petty broadcasts. In the end, only the strong shall be heard.

🏷️ Themes

Politics, Media Freedom, Culture

📚 Related People & Topics

Italy

Italy

Country in southern and western Europe

# Italy **Italy**, officially the **Italian Republic** (*Repubblica Italiana*), is a sovereign country situated in Southern and Western Europe. ### Geography and Territory The nation is primarily defined by a large peninsula extending into the heart of the **Mediterranean Sea**. Its northern land ...

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Censorship

Censorship

Suppression of speech and information

Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments and private institutions.

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Giorgia Meloni

Giorgia Meloni

Prime Minister of Italy since 2022

Giorgia Meloni (Italian: [ˈdʒordʒa meˈloːni]; born 15 January 1977) is an Italian politician who has served as Prime Minister of Italy since October 2022. She is the first woman to hold the office and the head of the third-longest government in the history of the Italian Republic. A member of the Ch...

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RAI

RAI

State-owned Italian broadcasting company

RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (Italian: [ˈrai ˌradjoteleviˈzjoːne itaˈljaːna]), commercially styled as Rai since 2000 and known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terres...

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Amadeus

Topics referred to by the same term

Amadeus may refer to:

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🔗 Entity Intersection Graph

Connections for Italy:

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📄 Original Source Content
try{ var _=i o; . if(!_||_&&typeof _==="object"&&_.expiry As Claude disrupts stock market, Anthropic researcher warns ’world is in peril’ Gold, silver prices rise amid U.S.-Iran tensions, blowout January payrolls data Dow halts three-day win streak as blowout jobs data curbs rate cut bets Citi pushes back Fed rate cuts to May after blowout January jobs report (South Africa Philippines Nigeria) Italian PM Meloni slams ’illiberal drift’ after comedian quits TV show World Published 02/08/2026, 11:34 AM Updated 02/08/2026, 11:36 AM Italian PM Meloni slams ’illiberal drift’ after comedian quits TV show 0 By Crispian Balmer ROME, Feb 8 - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accused centre-left opponents of trying to silence their critics in the entertainment world after a self-declared right-wing comedian pulled out of a hugely popular show. Andrea Pucci had been expected to appear at this month’s Sanremo music festival, a week-long song contest that is the most popular television event of the year in Italy. However, he abruptly quit the line-up on Sunday, saying he and his family had faced a wave of insults and threats after state broadcaster RAI announced he would be a co-host for one night of the festival. Meloni immediately leapt to his defence. "It’s sobering that in 2026 an artist should feel forced to give up doing his job because of the climate of intimidation and hatred that has formed around him," she wrote on X, adding: "The illiberal drift of the left in Italy is becoming frightening." Pucci is well-known for his politically incorrect jokes, which top-selling Italian daily Corriere della Sera this month said "belonged to the last century". CRITICS SAY MELONI IS PURGING ITALIAN CULTURE When it was announced that he would appear at Sanremo, the centre-left Democratic Party said he was "clearly right-wing, fascist, and homophobic." The politically neutral consumer group Codacons also weighed in, saying such a divisive figure should not be allowed to appear at th...

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