Body Shaming High Mocks Italian PM Meloni's Body, Journalists Sentenced To Pay IDR 88 Million

JAKARTA - Milan's court ordered a journalist to pay compensation to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for 5,000 euros or equivalent to Rp. 88 million for making fun of him in posts on social media.

Reuters reported that ANSA news agency, a journalist named Giulia Cortese, was also fined a suspension of 1,200 euros for insults on Twitter or X, in October 2021 about Meloni's height defined as "body shaming".

Italian Prime Minister Meloni took legal action against Cortese after the two women clashed on social media.

Meloni took the exception when Cortese published a photo of himself with pictures of the late fascist leader Benito Mussolini in the background.

Cortese responded with a journalist's tweet translated as "you don't scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you're only 1.2 meters tall. I can't even see you."

Meloni's height is mentioned between 1.58 m and 1.63 m on various media sites.

Cortese was able to appeal the sentence. Meanwhile, Meloni's lawyer said the Italian prime minister would donate all the losses he finally received for charity.

The high number of lawsuits filed against journalists was quoted by Reporters Without Borders this year, which fielded Italy five places 46th in the World Press Freedom Index in 2024.

Meloni is not a new person to sue reporters to court. Last year a Roma court fined author Roberto Saviano's best-selling book of 1,000 euros plus legal fees after he insulted him on television in 2021 for his hardline stance on illegal immigration.

Journalists at Italian state broadcasters, RAI, went on strike last May in protest against Meloni's "stirring control" for their work by the Meloni administration.