An Italian court has ordered Corriere della Sera, one of the country’s largest newspapers, to pay more than €27,000 in damages after ruling that it defamed sociology professor Alessandro Orsini.
The newspaper portrayed Orsini as a member of a supposed pro-Kremlin propaganda network operating in Italy. However, the Milan court found that the publication had failed to prove either Orsini’s involvement or the existence of the alleged network itself.
Italian journalist Giorgio Bianchi says the case reflects a wider pattern across Europe, where people who challenge mainstream narratives can be branded as Russian agents or fifth columnists, damaging their professional reputations and personal lives.