Sports journalists at the Italian state broadcaster are protesting in response to mistakes made by the sports director throughout his commentary at the Milan Cortina opening ceremony. Winter Olympics.
Paolo Petrecka, set for the role in Roy Sport in 2025, welcomed viewers to Rome’s Stadio Olimpico instead of Milan’s San Siro for Friday’s ceremony, mistaking Italian actor Matilda De Angelis for Mariah Carey and Italian daughter Laura Ma for the president.
The gaffes were quickly mocked by viewers on social media and seized on by members of the Italian opposition due to Petreca’s close loyalty to the far-right government of Georgia Meloni. De Angelis joked: “Mariah Carey and I are obviously the same person.”
CDR, the internal union representing Roy journalists, said on Monday the broadcaster’s sports journalists would stage protests, including suspending bylines from their coverage of the games and going on strike for three days after the event, in response to the sports director’s “disastrous coverage” of the opening ceremony.
“For three days we were all troubled,” CDR said in a statement. “And through no fault of our own. It’s time to make our voices heard as we face the worst ever performance from Roy Sport at one of the most anticipated events of all time, the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.”
The CDR said the flawed commentary would harm Roy, its license fee payers and journalists working for public service. The statement added: “This is not a political issue, as some would have us believe, but a question of honor and respect for public service.”
The journalists’ union, Usigray, called the commentary “inadequate”.
Opposition politicians said the incident was the latest example of allegations of right-wing bias against Roy. Sandro Rutolo of the Democratic Party said it represented a further sign of “political career and enthusiasm” in what he called “telemeloni”.
in a An unprecedented move in 2024news anchors on Roy’s three main TV channels read a statement from Usigarai condemning the Meloni administration for “making Roy the government’s megaphone”.
Before taking office in October 2022, Meloni often accused Roy of being left-wing.
Roy Sports has been contacted for comment.
