Rai, proceedings against Serena Bortone for the Scurati case. The CEO Sergio: “you violated company policy”. The Democratic Party: “Intimidatory act”

After two weeks of controversy over the non-participation of the writer Antonio Scurati in ‘CheSarà…’ on Rai3, the first corporate decisions arrive and concern the presenter of the programme, Serena Bortone, who reported the case on social media. Precisely that post of April 20th pushed the CEO Roberto Sergio to send a letter of disciplinary complaint against the journalist, provoking the reaction of the opposition and the union, who spoke of an ‘unacceptable and threatening’ decision.

In the Supervisory Commission, Sergio explained that ‘Bortone was challenged, as happened in similar cases, for the post published on social media in violation of company policy regulations. The dispute is a necessary action and will follow the procedure established by the regulation. Neither the participation of the writer Scurati nor the reading of the monologue, later authorized and carried out by Bortone herself, was prohibited. The CEO denied any complaints and stated that the affair had caused ‘reputational damage to the company. Then he announced that ‘an internal audit procedure has been started, the results of which will be available shortly, focused on two aspects: the first, any procedural misalignments, and there certainly have been some; the second, the behavior of the individuals on whom reports were requested.

Now Bortone will have five days to explain. Yesterday, during the press conference organized by Usigrai on the day of the strike, the journalist explained that she felt at ease for having simply done her duty, not having reported censorship, but only made known what would emerge anyway. ‘And so he did it – said the secretary of Usigrai Daniele Macheda – Roberto Sergio, the man who as a Rai manager, director of radio, publicly attacked the Radio Rai Newspaper on social media, now as managing director he lashes out with legal proceedings disciplinarians who, even through social media, defend their freedom and professionalism from an “asphyxiating” control system on the work of RAI journalists.

‘The disciplinary procedure – the MPs of the PD in Supervision attacked – defines the idea that the company management has of information pluralism. We are faced with an arrogant, threatening, intimidating act. “Hit one to educate a hundred” is the motto that animates this majority that wants to make the public service company the government’s megaphone.

Surveillance also raised controversy over the strike with accusations that the company had implemented a boycott of the protest. ‘There was no anti-union behavior on the part of the company during the strike, but a spontaneous presence which allowed the news to be broadcast – said general director Giampaolo Rossi – A legitimate presence as established by the sentences which equate freedom from striking to that of not striking. The strike was supported by 56% of all journalists and 71% if only those present are counted. If membership had been higher it would not have been possible to broadcast the news. The turnout was not such as to prevent the most important editions from being broadcast.’