2025. Mid Report Ossigeno/1 – In six months, 361 journalists threatened in Italy, up 78%

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361 threats detected compared to 203 in the same period in 2024 – Intimidation from politicians increases – Lombardy became the region with the most threats

OSSIGENO October 28, 2025 – In 2025, the trend in intimidation and threats against journalists aimed at gagging them in Italy was very worrying. This is according to data from the monitoring programme of the Ossigeno per l’Informazione observatory, published on the occasion of the UN International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI). This is confirmed by the numbers and the emergence of more restrictive and invasive forms of intimidation, adding to the serious ones that, in the absence of remedies and countermeasures, have been manifesting themselves in epidemic form since at least 2006. 

In the first six months of 2025, direct surveys by the Ossigeno per l’Informazione observatory reported double the number of threats compared to the same period last year. (Read the 2024 full report in three parts). The increase was 78%. Ossigeno recorded 361 threats compared to 203 in the first half of 2024. There was also a 46% increase in intimidating incidents that could be classified as deliberate violations of freedom of information: 107 episodes compared to 73. Threats from public officials have increased.

A comparison with data from the same period in 2024 shows that:

1. Lombardy, Lazio, and Sicily remain the regions with the highest number of threats. With 3% of total victims, Abruzzo has worsened its ranking in terms of intimidation (calculated as the ratio between the number of threatened victims and the journalist population).
2. Forms of intimidation from public officials have increased by 10%. In particular, over half of these come from representatives of local institutions (municipal or regional), who mainly resort to spurious lawsuits (in a third of cases), social media threats, or insults, the latter of which have increased compared to the first half of 2024 (+17%).
3. The tendency to not report physical and verbal abuse is increasing. In 81% of cases, victims prefer not to go to court. In the same period in 2024, one in two victims did not report it.

Incidents of aggression have increased by 10%, especially against local journalists documenting situations of environmental degradation and illegal activity.

Spurious lawsuits, or SLAPPs, remain the second most used form of intimidation, after warnings.

Gender-based threats directed at female journalists are decreasing, but the tendency to not report them is increasing.

Here you can find the report in Italian and all the detailed data