Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago
At this moment in history, in Italy and around the world, journalists are working under growing pressure. Threats, intimidation, surveillance, strategic lawsuits, and precarious working conditions have become structural elements of the profession, contributing to the shrinking of press freedom and weakening the role of information in public debate. These challenges are compounded by the economic crisis facing newsrooms, increasingly fragile contracts, and a media ecosystem in which propaganda and disinformation find fertile ground. Drawing on concrete cases, the panel examines the new forms of pressure affecting journalism today. Raffaele Angius, investigative journalist at IrpiMedia, will discuss his investigation into the “Graphite” spyware developed by Paragon Solutions, bringing the issue of source protection in the age of intrusive technologies back to the forefront. Alongside digital threats, judicial pressures are also emerging, as in the case of Giorgio Mottola, reporter for Report (Rai 3), who was targeted with a damages claim by a governing party over a television investigation—an episode denounced by Usigrai as a strategic lawsuit against journalism. Completing the picture is Amalia De Simone, an award-winning Rai 3 investigative video reporter known for her work on crime and organized crime, who will highlight the intimidation and real risks faced by journalists in the field.
At this moment in history, in Italy and around the world, journalists are working under growing pressure. Threats, intimidation, surveillance, strategic lawsuits, and precarious working conditions have become structural elements of the profession, contributing to the shrinking of press freedom and weakening the role of information in public debate. These challenges are compounded by the economic crisis facing newsrooms, increasingly fragile contracts, and a media ecosystem in which propaganda and disinformation find fertile ground. Drawing on concrete cases, the panel examines the new forms of pressure affecting journalism today. Raffaele Angius, investigative journalist at IrpiMedia, will discuss his investigation into the “Graphite” spyware developed by Paragon Solutions, bringing the issue of source protection in the age of intrusive technologies back to the forefront. Alongside digital threats, judicial pressures are also emerging, as in the case of Giorgio Mottola, reporter for Report (Rai 3), who was targeted with a damages claim by a governing party over a television investigation—an episode denounced by Usigrai as a strategic lawsuit against journalism. Completing the picture is Amalia De Simone, an award-winning Rai 3 investigative video reporter known for her work on crime and organized crime, who will highlight the intimidation and real risks faced by journalists in the field.
