RAI Journalist Ranucci Loses "Report" Hosting Role After Staged Bomb Attack on His Car
Italian investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci will no longer lead his magazine "Report" at broadcaster RAI from November onwards. The reason is a fake bomb attack that a friend is said to have organised in his name.
RAI Removes Investigative Journalist Ranucci Following Staged Attack
Italian journalist Sigfrido Ranucci will lose his role as head and host of his investigative magazine "Report" at public broadcaster RAI from November. The broadcaster announced this without naming official reasons. Two new hosts are set to replace the 65-year-old, according to n-tv.
Around ten months ago, a bomb attack was carried out outside Ranucci's home, in which two vehicles were destroyed. The Mafia initially came under suspicion: Ranucci hosts Italy's best-known investigative programme in public broadcasting, regularly researches Mafia structures, and had been under police protection before the attack due to repeated death threats. In Italy, more than twenty journalists are under permanent state protection because they report on organised crime and corruption.
However, the investigation led in a different direction. Ranucci's close friend Valter Lavitola, 60, is said to have commissioned the attack. Publicly released correspondence from Lavitola suggests that he organised the staged attack to increase Ranucci's public profile in order to then push him into politics and position himself as an adviser. In past decades, Lavitola has been involved in multiple political scandals. For about two weeks, he has been in pre-trial detention; in an initial interrogation, he confessed to having commissioned the attack.
Ranucci himself is not accused of any misconduct. Investigators believe he had no knowledge of Lavitola's plans.
Nevertheless, he is losing his programme. Italian media interpret RAI's decision as an attempt to avert damage to the broadcaster. RAI offered Ranucci three transfer options, it is stated.
Ranucci's lawyer Roberto De Vita protested against the move. RAI was thereby punishing the victim of an attack as well as undermining editorial independence at public broadcasting, according to his argument. The "Report" editorial team also responded with a statement: the broadcaster's action was unacceptable because employees had not been involved in the decision. The two new hosts "in no way represent the history and values of 'Report'", according to a statement quoted by news agency ANSA.
Source: n-tv