Marco Travaglio
Encyclopedia
Marco Travaglio is an Italian
investigative journalist, writer
and commentator.
. He started his career writing for Catholic
publications such as Il nostro tempo ("Our time"), then worked for the renowned journalist Indro Montanelli
for newspapers such as Il Giornale
and La Voce and gained the attention of Montanelli himself who once used to say about him: "No, Travaglio does not kill anyone. With a knife. He uses a more refined and not legally punishable weapon: the archives"
Since 14 September 2006, Marco Travaglio has been a regular guest in the TV program AnnoZero
, hosted by Michele Santoro
(also mentioned by Berlusconi in the Bulgarian Edict
).
Recently, Travaglio has contributed as a columnist to prominent national newspapers and magazines, such as La Repubblica
, L'Unità
(with his old columns
"Bananas", "Uliwood Party" and "Zorro") and Micromega
. He still contributes to L'espresso
with the column
"Signorno'". In September 2009 he contributed to the formation of the independent newspaper, called Il Fatto Quotidiano
("The Daily Fact").
Political and judicial events of national importance, ranging from Mani pulite
to the troubles of controversial political figure Silvio Berlusconi
, have been Travaglio's main area of interest.
The journalist became well known in 2001, after participating in a TV show on state-owned national channel Raidue called Satyricon and hosted by Daniele Luttazzi
. There, He presented his brand-new book, and bestseller, L'odore dei soldi ("The Smell of Money", co-authored by Elio Veltri), which investigates the origin of Mr Berlusconi's early fortunes. Berlusconi started a lawsuit for slander, but since the book reports official facts already known by the judiciary authorities, he was condemned to pay the legal expenses.
The show, aired during the campaign for the Italian general election, was heavily criticized by Berlusconi and his party and labeled by them as a politically-motivated, non-objective personal attack. After Mr Berlusconi's victory at the elections, both Travaglio and Luttazzi (together with other prominent journalists that had criticized Mr Berlusconi's or investigated his history) have never appeared again on state-owned TV shows until September 2006 (shortly after Berlusconi lost the elections and left power), causing a long debate about freedom of information and censorship in Italy
.
On 10 May 2008, Marco Travaglio commented on Renato Schifani
's election as president of the Senate that one should "simply ask of the second highest office of the state to explain those relationships with those men who have subsequently been condemned for association with the Mafia" on the RAI
current affairs talk show television program Che tempo fa.
The statement of Travaglio resulted in fierce and almost universally negative reactions including from the centre left, except for Antonio Di Pietro
who said that Travaglio was "merely doing his job". Some called for chief executives at RAI to be dismissed.
The popular political commentator Beppe Grillo
supported Travaglio, while Schifani announced he would go to Court and sue Travaglio for slander. Schifani said Travaglio's accusation was based on "inconsistent or manipulated facts, not even worthy of generating suspicions", adding that "someone wants to undermine the dialogue between the government and the opposition." Mister Schifani himself enjoys immunity as leader of the parliament.
In 2009, the German Association of Journalists awarded Travaglio its yearly prize for Freedom of the Press, describing him as a "brave and critical colleague [...] exposing continually the attempts of Italian politicians, especially Silvio Berlusconi, to influence the media to their advantage and to negate critical reports."
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
investigative journalist, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and commentator.
Biography
Travaglio was born in TurinTurin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. He started his career writing for Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
publications such as Il nostro tempo ("Our time"), then worked for the renowned journalist Indro Montanelli
Indro Montanelli
Indro Montanelli was an Italian journalist and historian, known for his new approach to writing history in books such as History of the Greeks and History of Rome....
for newspapers such as Il Giornale
Il Giornale
il Giornale is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan, Italy.-History:The newspaper was planned in 1972 by the journalist Indro Montanelli, together with the colleague Enzo Bettiza, after some disagreements with the new pro-left editorial line adopted by the newspaper Corriere della Sera,...
and La Voce and gained the attention of Montanelli himself who once used to say about him: "No, Travaglio does not kill anyone. With a knife. He uses a more refined and not legally punishable weapon: the archives"
Since 14 September 2006, Marco Travaglio has been a regular guest in the TV program AnnoZero
AnnoZero
AnnoZero is an Italian television talk show hosted by the Italian journalist Michele Santoro and has been broadcast on Rai 2 since 2006. Beatrice Borromeo was a collaborator on this show from 2006-2008. Journalist Marco Travaglio is a permanent guest on the show...
, hosted by Michele Santoro
Michele Santoro
Michele Santoro is an Italian journalist, anchorman, television host and presenter.He also served till October 2005 as Member of the European Parliament for Southern Italy with the Olive Tree, part of the Socialist Group and sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice...
(also mentioned by Berlusconi in the Bulgarian Edict
Editto Bulgaro
The Editto Bulgaro , also going under the name of "the Bulgarian Ukase" in Italian newspapers, was a statement of Silvio Berlusconi, at the time Prime Minister of Italy, about the behavior of some journalists and television stars in the Italian media system, which was pronounced during a press...
).
Recently, Travaglio has contributed as a columnist to prominent national newspapers and magazines, such as La Repubblica
La Repubblica
la Repubblica is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Founded in 1976 in Rome by the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, as of 2008 is the second largest circulation newspaper, behind the Corriere della Sera.-Foundation:...
, L'Unità
L'Unità
l'Unità is an Italian left-wing newspaper, originally founded as official newspaper of the Italian Communist Party.-History:L'Unità was founded by Antonio Gramsci on 12 February 1924, as the newspaper of workers and peasants, the official newspaper of Italian Communist Party : it was printed in...
(with his old columns
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
"Bananas", "Uliwood Party" and "Zorro") and Micromega
MicroMega
MicroMega is a political, cultural, social and economic Newsmagazine, published bimonthly in Italy.It was founded in March 1986 by the editors Giorgio Ruffolo and Paolo Flores d'Arcais, published by the Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso...
. He still contributes to L'espresso
L'Espresso
l'Espresso is an Italian newsmagazine. It is one of the two most prominent Italian weeklies, the other being Panorama. Since the latter has been acquired by right-wing tycoon and politician Silvio Berlusconi, l'Espresso enjoys the reputation of being the main politically independent newsmagazine...
with the column
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
"Signorno'". In September 2009 he contributed to the formation of the independent newspaper, called Il Fatto Quotidiano
Il Fatto Quotidiano
il Fatto Quotidiano is an Italian daily newspaper owned by Editoriale Il Fatto SpA. It was founded on 23 September 2009 and has been edited by Antonio Padellaro since then.- History :...
("The Daily Fact").
Political and judicial events of national importance, ranging from Mani pulite
Mani pulite
Mani pulite was a nationwide Italian judicial investigation into political corruption held in the 1990s. Mani pulite led to the demise of the so-called First Republic, resulting in the disappearance of many parties. Some politicians and industry leaders committed suicide after their crimes were...
to the troubles of controversial political figure Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
, have been Travaglio's main area of interest.
The journalist became well known in 2001, after participating in a TV show on state-owned national channel Raidue called Satyricon and hosted by Daniele Luttazzi
Daniele Luttazzi
Daniele Luttazzi , real name Daniele Fabbri, is an Italian theater actor, writer, satirist, illustrator and singer/songwriter. His stage name is a homage to musician and actor Lelio Luttazzi...
. There, He presented his brand-new book, and bestseller, L'odore dei soldi ("The Smell of Money", co-authored by Elio Veltri), which investigates the origin of Mr Berlusconi's early fortunes. Berlusconi started a lawsuit for slander, but since the book reports official facts already known by the judiciary authorities, he was condemned to pay the legal expenses.
The show, aired during the campaign for the Italian general election, was heavily criticized by Berlusconi and his party and labeled by them as a politically-motivated, non-objective personal attack. After Mr Berlusconi's victory at the elections, both Travaglio and Luttazzi (together with other prominent journalists that had criticized Mr Berlusconi's or investigated his history) have never appeared again on state-owned TV shows until September 2006 (shortly after Berlusconi lost the elections and left power), causing a long debate about freedom of information and censorship in Italy
Censorship in Italy
Italy has one of the lowest levels of press freedom in Europe. A 2009 report by Freedom House classified Italy as "partly free", the only country in western Europe, also ranking it behind most former communist states of eastern Europe....
.
Publications
Books by Marco Travaglio (usually co-authored with other investigative journalists) include:- Bravi ragazzi (Italian for Good fellas), published in 2003 and reporting on politicians Cesare Previti and Silvio Berlusconi's alleged (and later confirmed by court's sentence ) corruption of judges
- Lo chiamavano Impunità ("They Call Him Impunity", a humorous reference to the spaghetti westernSpaghetti WesternSpaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
Lo chiamavano TrinitàThey Call Me TrinityThey Call Me Trinity also known as My Name is Trinity, is a 1970 Italian spaghetti western film starring Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.-Plot summary:...
), published in 2003, about the SME-Ariosto inquiry and court trial - Mani Sporche (Italian for "Dirty Hands") that reports about the years following the national scandal "Mani puliteMani puliteMani pulite was a nationwide Italian judicial investigation into political corruption held in the 1990s. Mani pulite led to the demise of the so-called First Republic, resulting in the disappearance of many parties. Some politicians and industry leaders committed suicide after their crimes were...
" (Italian for "Clean Hands") - Il Bavaglio ("The Gag") mostly about the Italian politicians' plans to limit freedom of speech and the investigative means of Italian Prosecutors investigating political corruption
- Per chi suona la banana ("For Whom the Banana Tolls"; the title is a pun on For Whom the Bell TollsFor Whom the Bell TollsFor Whom the Bell Tolls is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1940. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigades attached to a republican guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War. As an expert in the use of explosives, he is assigned to blow up a...
, with a reference on the banana republicBanana republicIn political science, the pejorative term Banana Republic denotes a politically unstable country dependent upon limited primary productions , which is ruled by a plutocracy, a small, self-elected, wealthy group who exploit the country by means of a politico-economic oligarchy...
) - Italia Anno Zero, Chiarelettere, 2009, ISBN 978-88-6190-051-6 (coauthors: Beatrice BorromeoBeatrice BorromeoBeatrice Borromeo was born in Innichen on 18 August 1985. She is a member of the ancient aristocratic House of Borromeo, and she is well known in the Italian news media as an outspoken television personality. At the age of 16, she began work as a fashion model...
and Vauro SenesiVauro SenesiVauro Senesi is an Italian journalist and satirical cartoonist.Vauro was born in Pistoia. He was Pino Zac's apprentice, and, together with Giancarlo Fusco, Cinzia Leone and others, in September 1978 they founded Il Male, a satirical weekly newspaper...
)
On 10 May 2008, Marco Travaglio commented on Renato Schifani
Renato Schifani
Renato Maria Giuseppe Schifani is an Italian politician and a prominent member of the centre-right People of Freedom. Since 29 April 2008 he has been President of the Italian Senate. Schifani was born in Palermo.-Berlusconi's chief whip:...
's election as president of the Senate that one should "simply ask of the second highest office of the state to explain those relationships with those men who have subsequently been condemned for association with the Mafia" on the RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
current affairs talk show television program Che tempo fa.
The statement of Travaglio resulted in fierce and almost universally negative reactions including from the centre left, except for Antonio Di Pietro
Antonio Di Pietro
Antonio Di Pietro is an Italian politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament, an Italian Senator, and Minister of the Prodi Government...
who said that Travaglio was "merely doing his job". Some called for chief executives at RAI to be dismissed.
The popular political commentator Beppe Grillo
Beppe Grillo
Giuseppe Piero Grillo, better known as Beppe Grillo , is an Italian activist, blogger, comedian, actor and politician, who also works in theatres and television.-Biography:Grillo was born in Genoa, Liguria....
supported Travaglio, while Schifani announced he would go to Court and sue Travaglio for slander. Schifani said Travaglio's accusation was based on "inconsistent or manipulated facts, not even worthy of generating suspicions", adding that "someone wants to undermine the dialogue between the government and the opposition." Mister Schifani himself enjoys immunity as leader of the parliament.
In 2009, the German Association of Journalists awarded Travaglio its yearly prize for Freedom of the Press, describing him as a "brave and critical colleague [...] exposing continually the attempts of Italian politicians, especially Silvio Berlusconi, to influence the media to their advantage and to negate critical reports."
External links
- Il fatto quotidiano Independent journal of which Travaglio is the vice director.
- Voglio scendere Blog by Travaglio and fellow journalists and authors Pino Corrias and Peter Gomez
- L'Antefatto Official website of Travaglio's independent newspaper, Il Fatto Quotidiano
- Unofficial Fan site featuring a column and some other contributions by Travaglio not published elsewhere
- Interview with Marco Travaglio
- La Repubblica newspaper: the controversial interview with Travaglio by Luttazzi
- Signornò http://espresso.repubblica.it/archivio/opinioni/marcotravaglio L'Espresso-Opinioni
- V-day 8 September 2007 Bologna Video
- V2-day 25 April 2008 Turin Video
- No CAV day 8 July 2008 Rome