Another Ranucci-Garante clash. The journalist returns to TV and thanks his team: "You're the security detail."

A new clash has erupted between Sigfrido Ranucci and the Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante per la Privacy) following the recent controversy over the €150,000 fine imposed by the Authority on Report. A video—aired in prime time on Rai3, during the first episode of the new season, and previewed on the program's social media channels—documents the entry of Agostino Ghiglia, a member of the Authority, into the headquarters of the Brothers of Italy party.

The date is October 22, the day before the program was sanctioned for broadcasting audio between former minister Gennaro Sangiuliano and his wife Federica Corsini regarding the Boccia case. The Authority "acts on political input," Ranucci criticized in an interview with La Stampa. But the Authority reiterated "the full independence of judgment and freedom of choice of its members," explaining that the investigation procedures were "fully respected."

Corsini also broke his silence, rejecting the theory of "external influences" or "political considerations": the Guarantor's decisions, he said, were based on "objective and unequivocal facts." And in the evening Ghiglia himself responded, claiming "maximum transparency" in his behavior: on Via della Scrofa, he told Corriere.it, "I saw Italo Bocchino regarding a presentation of our two new books in Turin and Rome."

Regarding Arianna Meloni's presence at the Fdi headquarters, "I ran into her, we greeted each other and exchanged a few pleasantries because she was very busy." "If she's as transparent as she says, Ghiglia should accept an interview and do as we at Report do, show his face. We've been asking him for the interview for some time. For our part, we will continue working to hand down a better world to future generations," Ranucci reiterated after showing the video from Via della Scrofa.

The episode opens with images of the attack in Pomezia a week ago: "Here we are, safe and sound. Let me hug my team: after the bomb, my security detail was raised, but not theirs. And since the bomb was probably linked to our past and future investigations, let me hug them because they are showing great courage. Stay close to them, because you are their security detail."

The opposition is attacking. "It's unheard of" that Ghiglia was seen entering "Giorgia Meloni's party headquarters" just hours before the decision on Report's fine, is the attack from Democratic Party members in the Supervisory Authority, who are demanding RAI's intervention. The Democratic Party's Information Director, Sandro Ruotolo, adds to the argument, calling the Guarantor's response "embarrassing and revealing," in a "conventional statement" that fails to address the "political issue"—the presence of a member of the Supervisory Board at Via della Scrofa.

Five Star Movement (M5S) members of the Supervisory Authority are also protesting, calling for an "urgent hearing" with the Authority's president, Pasquale Stanzione, and for clarification from Arianna Meloni. The AVS (Italian State Security Authority) is on the same page, along with Peppe De Cristofaro and Angelo Bonelli, who has announced a question to the government: "The proper functioning of our democracy is at stake." From the majority ranks, Senator Costanzo Della Porta (FdI) strikes a blow: "The person sitting on the Privacy Committee today was elected in 2020, when the Conte bis government was in power, supported by the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement, and in that Parliament, the Brothers of Italy party was in opposition with a 4% share of the parliamentary vote. In short, they are anything but an offshoot of the Meloni government."

For the first time, after months of "maximum secrecy," Federica Corsini also weighs in. The suggestion of "external interference" in the Authority's decision is "completely baseless," emphasizes Sangiuliano's wife, a journalist for Tg2. "The Guarantor had no choice but to intervene, in light of objective and documented circumstances," she clarifies, emphasizing that the audio of the phone call "was unlawfully acquired by a person now accused, with me as the injured party," as the Rome prosecutor's office "clearly affirms."

For this reason, Corsini had warned RAI and Report "not against reporting the news, which as a journalist I would never have asked for," he explains, "but against broadcasting the audio." Ranucci's program "chose to accept and broadcast it, despite knowing its illicit origin. This is relevant both from a criminal perspective" and "from that of protecting privacy," Corsini continues. "Freedom of information is a fundamental right," he concludes, "but it cannot become a shield for violating people's dignity and the legality of sources."