Breaking News: Rai Journalist Suspended for Challenging Censorship and Bias in Broadcasting

Serena Bortone, a Rai journalist and host of the program “Che Sarà…”, has been suspended for six days due to disciplinary proceedings opened by the company. This came after Antonio Scurati’s monologue was canceled on April 25. Bortone had shared the news of the broadcast stop on social media.

The suspension has sparked outrage among those who see it as an attack on free speech and journalistic integrity. Various politicians and officials have spoken out against it, with accusations of censorship and bias within Rai leadership. The case is emblematic of larger issues regarding censorship and control over content in public service broadcasting.

Democratic parliamentarians of the bicameral Rai oversight commission have criticized the suspension, calling it a “bad page for Rai” and a “bad page for the public service”. They expressed concern over the sanctioning of a professional for contesting an unjust imposition and raised issues with the biased vision in defining program schedules to please the government and the majority. They vowed to bring the case back to the supervisory committee.