Italy. Former General Vannacci names the journalists his new party finds unwelcome

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He names them by full name – ‘It’s a blacklist,’ comment the Odg and Fnsi – Ossigeno: ‘It is an act of intimidation’

OSSIGENO 16 June 2026 – At the ‘Futuro Nazionale’ convention on Friday 12 June 2026 in Rome, General Roberto Vannacci attacked a number of journalists, accusing them of writing falsehoods about his new party and listing them by full name. This latest blacklist is an act of intimidation that violates freedom of the press and freedom of expression, commented Ossigeno per l’Informazione.

The leader of Futuro Nazionale, after rattling off his list (from which he excluded Lilli Gruber, perhaps because she had recently been a guest on ‘Otto e mezzo’), remarked: “If we are here, it is thanks to them”, “The infiltration by journalists has already begun; they are secretly recording us, as if they were infiltrating the Vietcong and I were Colonel Kurtz”.

THE LIST – Vannacci’s list includes journalists from the daily newspaper *La Repubblica* (described as ‘the ringleader’), followed by political reporters and columnists from *Il Fatto Quotidiano*, *Il Foglio* and *Corriere della Sera*, as well as those from the television news programmes of RAI and La7 (read more). At the top of the list is Ivan Grieco, the correspondent for *Pulp Podcast*, hosted by Fedez and Mr Marra, who was denied accreditation for the convention. Then, in no particular order, the following were mentioned: Matteo Pucciarelli of *La Repubblica*, Sigfrido Ranucci of *Report*, Gad Lerner and Corrado Formigli of La7, Massimo Gramellini, Fabrizio Roncone and Beppe Severgnini of *Corriere della Sera*, *Il Foglio*’s parliamentary correspondent Carmelo Caruso, and *Il Fatto Quotidiano*’s correspondents Giacomo Salvini and Alessandro Mantovani.

REACTIONS – “To Vannacci I’ll simply say ‘welcome to the Casta’,” was Sigfrido Ranucci’s comment when questioned by ANSA regarding the statements made by the leader of Futuro Nazionale. The National Order of Journalists and the National Press Federation reacted to Vannacci’s provocative remarks by issuing press releases.

“Here we go again with the blacklists of unwelcome journalists. To those who resort once again to this intimidating tactic – even if with ill-concealed irony – we remind them that they can do so because in Italy there is freedom of expression enshrined in the republican and anti-fascist Constitution. The very same Constitution that guarantees freedom of the press and the right of citizens to be informed, rather than merely being the targets of propaganda,” said Carlo Bartoli, national president of the Order of Journalists. General Vannacci had better come to terms with it: he has gained visibility partly thanks to free journalism, but he will not succeed in shaking off independent journalists. Freedom of the press is not just a slogan; it must be defended always and everywhere.”

FNSI Secretary Alessandra Costante said: “Once again we find ourselves discussing blacklists of reporters whose only ‘crime’ is doing their job well. I express my total and unconditional solidarity with, and my esteem for, my colleagues who have been pilloried by those who continue to use intolerable methods and aim to conduct their election campaign and gain political publicity by offending journalists and the very democracy that allows them to speak.” LT