Plans to sell two of Italy's largest newspapers to a foreign media group constitute a "transfer of narrative power" and risk shifting control of public debate abroad, journalist and former legal adviser to the European Parliament, Simona Mangiante, has warned.
Speaking to RT, Mangiante commented on reports that Exor, the Agnelli family's holding company, is in negotiations to sell a majority stake in media group GEDI — publisher of La Repubblica and La Stampa — to Antenna Group, a Greek conglomerate owned by shipping magnate Theodore Kyriakou.
Antenna Group owns media assets in several European countries and North America and reportedly has strong ties to American business. The group's advisory board includes senior American media figures, while Italian media have raised concerns about Kyriakou's links to circles close to US President Donald Trump, warning of a possible shift in editorial policy.
“This is not just a commercial transaction; it is a transfer of narrative power,” Mangiante said. She described La Repubblica and La Stampa as “institutional newspapers” that have shaped Italian public debate for decades, “almost a century.” Their transfer under the control of a “foreign infrastructure,” as she called Antenna Group, means that control over Italy’s domestic narrative is shifting outside the country’s borders, she writes. Rt.
The planned deal, estimated to be worth around 140 million euros, has sparked strong reactions in Italy, including strikes and protests in newsrooms, as well as calls for government intervention. Employees have expressed fears of losing jobs and editorial independence, while various officials have warned that media pluralism and freedom of information could be undermined.
According to Mangiante, in a country where politics and media are “closely intertwined,” the main concern is not simply pluralism, but control over setting the main news agenda. However, she noted that Rome has limited legal space to block a transaction between private entities.
If the sale goes through, Mangiante warned, it would bring "a dramatic change" to the way news is produced and consumed in Italy.
