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Rai Opens Disciplinary Case Against Journalist Sigfrido Ranucci

The company says an Ethics Committee report found conduct warranting formal charges and has given Ranucci five days to reply as a separate audit of Report is prepared.

Overview

  • Rai initiated a formal disciplinary procedure on Wednesday, delivering a letter of contestation that gives Sigfrido Ranucci five days to submit his written response.
  • The notice accuses Ranucci of specific breaches including sending internal circulars to outside parties, publicly denigrating company leaders and newly named Report hosts, and allowing unauthorized external access to Rai premises.
  • Rai says the action follows a Comitato Etico report and that its human resources office protocolled the letter before Ranucci filed an urgent appeal, while Ranucci’s lawyers say the PEC with charges arrived hours after they lodged the appeal and call the timing contentious.
  • The company warns the procedure could lead to sanctions from a reprimand to suspension or dismissal, and it presents the disciplinary track as separate from a planned internal audit into Report’s production processes and possible interference linked to Valter Lavitola.
  • Directors will address the case at the next Rai board meeting where minority councillors plan to challenge recent editorial choices and audience figures, a dispute that could deepen governance tensions and affect oversight appointments at the public broadcaster.