Michele Santoro
Encyclopedia
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 and Home Affairs
, being a substitute for the Committee on Culture and Education
, a member of the Delegation to the EU-Russia
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee and a substitute for the Delegation to the EU-Croatia
Joint Parliamentary Committee.
.
A graduate in Philosophy
, he made a successful debut in the Italian media as editor-in-chief on the regional newspaper La Voce della Campania ("Voice of Campania") and collaborating with some other national newspapers and magazines like Il Mattino
, L'Unità
and Epoca
.
Before being hired by RAI
, he had had some experience with a number of radio stations. He started his RAI career in TG3
, the Rai Tre
news division, first as a foreign correspondent, then creating and producing TV specials and weekly TV magazines, and finally working as chief culture correspondent, again for TG3
.
). These often involved debate
s with politician
s, along with ground-breaking reports and questions from the audience. Santoro's shows were seen as places where the Italian people confronted their politicians, often perceived to be corrupt or inept. His shows have always been criticized for the leftism and lack of impartiality like in the last years with attacks against Berlusconi and other right wing Italian MPs.
Santoro left RAI in 1996, because of disagreements with the public television's direction, and briefly worked in Silvio Berlusconi
's networks; he left Mediaset because of Berlusconi's continuing political role that he felt to be in conflict with his influence as the country's main media entrepreneur. After his return, he led two shows, Circus, on Rai Uno, and Sciuscià, on Rai Due. The latter was often made up of a series of reportages, narrated in movie style.
In recent years he has been continually accused of partisanship by the right-wing
coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi
, whose family holding company controls Mediaset
, who installed a new board in the state-owned RAI after their electoral victory in the Italian general election, 2001
. Sciuscià remained on the air until May 2002.
. This followed a declaration by Silvio Berlusconi, then prime minister
, at a press conference in Sofia
, Bulgaria
, where he clearly stated:
Soon after, neither Santoro nor the two others obtained any more work for RAI, and working for Berlusconi's own TV networks (the other half of the TV system) was obviously unviable. A legal dispute has been ongoing, since Santoro contested a violation of his contract by RAI. He was supported by a court decision that should have forced RAI to give him the direction of a news magazine, but in the end Santoro was omitted.
, Santoro accepted the offer of candidacy proposed by the centre-left confederation called United in the Olive Tree. He was elected as MEP with a great poll success, obtaining a total of more 700,000 votes in Italy as a whole. In the southern-Italian mandate, Santoro defeated Silvio Berlusconi himself with 526,535 votes against 452,326.
Michele Santoro resigned as an MEP on October 19, 2005, basing his decision on his desire to go back to his work on RAI, citing a judicial verdict which obliged the Italian national television to reinstate him. Contemporarily he announced his participation on RockPolitik, a controversial and long-awaited TV show on Rai Uno
, hosted by singer Adriano Celentano
, to talk about issues of media censorship, after Luttazzi and Biagi refused to be guests on the show.
(Year Zero) broadcast on Rai Due
and Raisat Extra
and initially scheduled to be aired first on April 27, 2006; its debut was however delayed and it started on September 14. The show's regular commentators consist of the journalist Marco Travaglio
and the cartoonist Vauro. The episode of the show aired on March 8, 2007, which featured Italian Minister of Justice Clemente Mastella
as special guest caused controversy for his strong position on the DiCo
issue. Mastella walked out of the programme in protest during its live broadcast.
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...
journalist, anchorman, television host and presenter.
He also served till October 2005 as Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
for Southern Italy with the Olive Tree, part of the Socialist Group
Party of European Socialists
The Party of European Socialists is a European political party led by Sergei Stanishev, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The PES comprises social-democratic national-level political parties primarily from Member state of the European Union, as well as other nations of the European continent. The...
and sat on the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs is a standing committee of the European Parliament.-External links:*...
, being a substitute for the Committee on Culture and Education
Committee on Culture and Education
The Committee on Culture and Education is a committee of the European Parliament.- Responsibilities of the Committee :This committee has focused on the well-being of all members of the human race and the increased opportunities for education in all countries of the European Union...
, a member of the Delegation to the EU-Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee and a substitute for the Delegation to the EU-Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
Joint Parliamentary Committee.
Education and career
Santoro was born in SalernoSalerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
.
A graduate in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, he made a successful debut in the Italian media as editor-in-chief on the regional newspaper La Voce della Campania ("Voice of Campania") and collaborating with some other national newspapers and magazines like Il Mattino
Il Mattino
Il Mattino is an Italian daily newspaper, founded in 1892 in Naples, Italy, by the journalists Eduardo Scarfoglio and Matilde Serao.Based on 2008 survey data from Accertamenti Diffusione Stampa, Il Mattino is the most read daily newspaper in Campania, and one of the most read in southern...
, 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...
and Epoca
Época
Época is a Brazilian weekly news and analysis magazine. Since its inception in 1998, it has become one of the country's most widely read magazines...
.
Before being hired by 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...
, he had had some experience with a number of radio stations. He started his RAI career in TG3
TG3
TG3 is the brand for Italian state-owned TV channel Rai Tre's news programmes. They are shown domestically on Rai Tre and across the Europe on Rai News 24 and the world on Raitalia several times throughout the day...
, the Rai Tre
Rai Tre
Rai 3 is part of RAI, the Italian government broadcasting agency, which owns other channels, such as Rai 1 and Rai 2 . Rai 3 first started transmissions on December 15, 1979. In the eighties it was under the predominant political influence of the Italian Communist Party...
news division, first as a foreign correspondent, then creating and producing TV specials and weekly TV magazines, and finally working as chief culture correspondent, again for TG3
TG3
TG3 is the brand for Italian state-owned TV channel Rai Tre's news programmes. They are shown domestically on Rai Tre and across the Europe on Rai News 24 and the world on Raitalia several times throughout the day...
.
News shows
Santoro's popularity was essentially based on being the author and anchorman for TV journalism broadcasts like Samarcanda, Il rosso e il nero and Temporeale, all strongly left wing oriented, the broadcasts took place during a period of political turmoil in Italy (see TangentopoliTangentopoli
Tangentopoli is a term which was coined to describe pervasive corruption in the Italian political system exposed in the 1992-6 Mani Pulite investigations, as well as the resulting scandal, which led to the collapse of the hitherto dominant Christian Democracy party and its allies.-Popular distrust...
). These often involved debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
s with politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
s, along with ground-breaking reports and questions from the audience. Santoro's shows were seen as places where the Italian people confronted their politicians, often perceived to be corrupt or inept. His shows have always been criticized for the leftism and lack of impartiality like in the last years with attacks against Berlusconi and other right wing Italian MPs.
Santoro left RAI in 1996, because of disagreements with the public television's direction, and briefly worked in 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...
's networks; he left Mediaset because of Berlusconi's continuing political role that he felt to be in conflict with his influence as the country's main media entrepreneur. After his return, he led two shows, Circus, on Rai Uno, and Sciuscià, on Rai Due. The latter was often made up of a series of reportages, narrated in movie style.
In recent years he has been continually accused of partisanship by the right-wing
House of Freedoms
The House of Freedoms , was a major Italian centre-right political and electoral alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi. It was initially composed of several political parties:*Forza Italia *National Alliance...
coalition led by 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...
, whose family holding company controls Mediaset
Mediaset
Mediaset S.p.A., known as Gruppo Mediaset in Italian, is an Italian-based media company which is the largest commercial broadcaster in the country...
, who installed a new board in the state-owned RAI after their electoral victory in the Italian general election, 2001
Italian general election, 2001
A national general election was held in Italy on May 13, 2001 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. The 14th Parliament of the Italian republic was chosen....
. Sciuscià remained on the air until May 2002.
Attacks from Berlusconi
The new RAI board installed by the centre-right government decided not to renew Santoro's contractContract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
. This followed a declaration by Silvio Berlusconi, then prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, at a press conference in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, where he clearly stated:
Santoro, BiagiEnzo BiagiEnzo Biagi was an Italian journalist and writer.-Biography:Biagi was born in Lizzano in Belvedere, and began his career as a journalist in Bologna. Active in journalism for six decades and author of some eighty books, Biagi won numerous awards, among which the 1979 Saint Vincent prize and the...
and LuttazziDaniele LuttazziDaniele 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...
used the public TV, paid by all, in a manner which is criminal. I believe it to be a specific duty of the new RAI board not to allow this to happen again.
Soon after, neither Santoro nor the two others obtained any more work for RAI, and working for Berlusconi's own TV networks (the other half of the TV system) was obviously unviable. A legal dispute has been ongoing, since Santoro contested a violation of his contract by RAI. He was supported by a court decision that should have forced RAI to give him the direction of a news magazine, but in the end Santoro was omitted.
European Parliament candidate
In the 2004 European electionsEuropean Parliament election, 2004 (Italy)
Elections to the European Parliament were held in Italy on 12 and 13 June 2004. Italy's highly fragmented party system made it hard to identify an overall trend, but the results were generally seen as a defeat for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and a victory for the centre-left opposition...
, Santoro accepted the offer of candidacy proposed by the centre-left confederation called United in the Olive Tree. He was elected as MEP with a great poll success, obtaining a total of more 700,000 votes in Italy as a whole. In the southern-Italian mandate, Santoro defeated Silvio Berlusconi himself with 526,535 votes against 452,326.
Michele Santoro resigned as an MEP on October 19, 2005, basing his decision on his desire to go back to his work on RAI, citing a judicial verdict which obliged the Italian national television to reinstate him. Contemporarily he announced his participation on RockPolitik, a controversial and long-awaited TV show on Rai Uno
Rai Uno
Rai 1 is the primary television station of RAI, the national public service broadcaster, and the most watched television channel in Italy. It was born as Rai Tv from 1954 to 1961, called Programma Nazionale from 1961 to 1979, after called Rete 1 from 1979 to 1982, then called Rai Uno from 1982 to...
, hosted by singer Adriano Celentano
Adriano Celentano
Adriano Celentano is an Italian singer, songwriter, comedian, actor, film director and TV host.-Biography:Celentano was born in Milan at 14 Via Gluck, about which he later wrote the famous song "Il ragazzo della via Gluck"...
, to talk about issues of media censorship, after Luttazzi and Biagi refused to be guests on the show.
Return to RAI
Following his resignation from the European Parliament, he started working on a new TV news magazine called AnnoZeroAnnoZero
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...
(Year Zero) broadcast on Rai Due
Rai Due
Rai 2 is one of the three main television channels broadcast by Italian public television company RAI alongside with Rai 1 and Rai 3. Rai 2 first started transmissions on November 4, 1961...
and Raisat Extra
Raisat Extra
Rai Extra was an Italian television channel owned RAI and broadcasted on Digital terrestrial television in Italy.Initially the channel was called RaiSat Extra...
and initially scheduled to be aired first on April 27, 2006; its debut was however delayed and it started on September 14. The show's regular commentators consist of the journalist Marco Travaglio
Marco Travaglio
Marco Travaglio is an Italian investigative journalist, writer and commentator.-Biography:Travaglio was born in Turin. He started his career writing for Catholic publications such as Il nostro tempo , then worked for the renowned journalist Indro Montanelli for newspapers such as Il Giornale and...
and the cartoonist Vauro. The episode of the show aired on March 8, 2007, which featured Italian Minister of Justice Clemente Mastella
Clemente Mastella
Mario Clemente Mastella is an Italian politician. He is currently leader of Popular-UDEUR, a minor centrist Italian party. He was Minister of Labour in the Berlusconi government from 10 May 1994 to 17 January 1995, and Minister of Justice in the Prodi government from 17 May 2006 to 17 January 2008...
as special guest caused controversy for his strong position on the DiCo
DICO
Dico can refer to:* Dico, a village the Lerik Rayon of Azerbaijan* Brandon DiCamillo, a comedian/actor from West Chester* Deposit Insurance Corporation of Ontario, an insurance company in Ontario...
issue. Mastella walked out of the programme in protest during its live broadcast.