Italian journalist Gabriele Nunziati, Brussels correspondent for the Agenzia Nova news agency, was told his collaboration with the agency was stopped on 27 October after asking European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho a question about Israel’s responsibility for the reconstruction of Gaza. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) condemn the dismissal of the journalist and criticise the Agenzia Nova news agency for having censored Nunziati, preventing him from carrying out his job freely.
At a European Commission press briefing in Brussels on 13 October, Nunziati asked the spokesperson Paula Pinho: “You’ve repeatedly said that Russia should pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Do you think Israel should also pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, given that it destroyed much of the Strip and its civilian infrastructure?”
The question, which Pinho avoided answering, arose on an important day in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That same day, a hostage exchange took place, with Hamas releasing 20 captives held in the Gaza Strip and Israel releasing approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, as established by the agreement brokered by the US government for a Gaza ceasefire.
Shortly after asking his question at the Commission press briefing, Gabriele Nunziati told Fanpage.it, an Italian online newspaper, that he was contacted several times by phone – between 15 and 23 October – by the Agenzia Nova news agency. The purpose of these rather tense phone calls was to discuss the question that Nunziati asked the European Commission spokesperson, a question deemed inappropriate by the Agenzia Nova news agency due to its content.
According to an article published in online newspaper il Post, on 27 October, the journalist received a letter terminating his working relationship with the news agency, which, however, did not specify the reasons for this decision.
The Agenzia Nova news agency told Fanpage.it that Nunziati’s question was “completely out of place and technically incorrect” and had created “embarrassment for the agency”. In its response, published by Fanpage.it, Agenzia Nova explained that “the problem is that Russia […] invaded Ukraine, a sovereign country, without being provoked” while “Israel suffered an armed attack”.
On its Instagram account, Nunziati said: “My question can only be considered biased if one needs to deny reality. It is a fact that Israel has almost completely razed Gaza to the ground. […]. It is a fact that the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity against Benjamin Netanyahu and some of his ministers […]. It would be biased to deny them.”
EFJ’s affiliate, the National Federation of the Italian Press (FNSI), expressed its support for his colleague: “It is unacceptable that a question, no matter how uncomfortable, could cost him his job”, declaring its willingness to support Nunziati in any decision he may make to protect himself.
The National Council of the Italian Order of Journalists also manifested its shock at the incident, calling for Nunziati’s immediate reinstatement in his role and recalling that “the role of a journalist, regardless of contractual protections, is to ask questions that may be uncomfortable or unwelcome”.
The IFJ-EFJ express their concern about the state of press freedom in Italy, which is deteriorating. “Criticising a journalist for asking uncomfortable questions based on verified, fact-checked information is deeply shocking and a blatant disregard for core press freedom principles. We strongly condemn Nova’s decision to terminate its working relationship with Nunziati for simply doing his job. At a time when journalism is struggling to remain independent, newsrooms must stand by their journalists, not betray them for fulfilling their duty to the public.“
Source: EFJ
