Journalists at Italy’s RaiSport announced a three-day strike to begin after the Winter Olympics and said they will withhold bylines on Olympics coverage and take other protest measures. The action follows a chaotic opening ceremony broadcast by RaiSport director Paolo Petrecca, whose on-air errors prompted staff outrage.
At Milan’s San Siro, Petrecca referred to the venue as the ‘Stadio Olimpico,’ a name linked to Rome’s stadium, and twice made awkward remarks: he said ‘The show continues with Mariah Carey’ while cameras were on young Italian actress Matilda de Angelis (who later posted ‘PLEASE, CALL ME MARIAH’ on Instagram), and he misidentified IOC president Kirsty Coventry as the daughter of Italian President Sergio Mattarella. Petrecca also made comments that drew criticism about Spanish athletes and Chinese team members.
Rai’s editorial committee said staff felt ’embarrassed’ and described the coverage as the channel’s worst-ever for a major event. The committee announced a byline boycott during the Games and the planned three-day strike afterwards ‘to make our voices heard.’
Opposition politicians seized on the incidents as evidence of alleged politicization at Rai. Petrecca, formerly head of RaiNews, has faced prior accusations of bias favoring Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; the Democratic Party called the broadcaster’s output its ‘worst version’ and derisively referred to it as ‘TeleMeloni.’
A Rai spokesperson told the Associated Press that Petrecca was removed from the commentary team for the February 22 closing ceremony following a meeting that included Rai CEO Giampaolo Rossi.