Italy. Unwelcome news. Social media pillorying struck journalist

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OSSIGENO, 29 October 2026 – A media pillorying has struck journalist Francesco Petruzzelli, who became the target of heavy insults on social media after publishing in Corriere della Sera/Bari the news that the deputy mayor of the Apulian regional capital, Giovanna Iacovone, had been accused of parking her private car in a space reserved for people with disabilities (read here).

“The court of the web has handed down yet another hasty verdict against a journalist,” denounced Apulia’s Order of Journalists and Assostampa ((the regional press union), who voiced their solidarity with Francesco Petruzzelli and reaffirmed that insults and threats on social media are unacceptable acts of intimidation, an underhanded way to silence those who do their job by disseminating news of public interest. Anyone wishing to challenge the accuracy of a news story or the propriety of a journalist’s conduct must do so in a civil manner and may resort to “the protective remedies provided for by professional law and by the legal system.” LT /sc