Italy Senate Chief: Overhaul 'Report, Don't Axe It; New Host Must Match Ranucci'

Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa said the investigative TV program "Report" should be changed, not eliminated, and expressed hope that its replacement would not be worse than current host Sigfrido Ranucci. He made the remarks at a Brothers of Italy (FdI) party event in Ragalna, in the Catania area of Sicily. "Report must be changed, not eliminated, because it is not possible that Report's investigations concerned the largest left-wing party in only 1.5% of cases, La Russa said.

"I don't care if they put someone else" in place of Ranucci, "but it cannot be that investigative journalism is done to attack someone. He added: "I hope they don't send us someone worse than Ranucci — I see it as difficult, but they could find one. Speaking broadly on other topics, La Russa commented on electoral law: "The third institutional reform I loved most — that of having the head of state, or at least the prime minister, directly elected by the people — has stalled somewhat because we understood it would become another instrument of falsehood. But if we pass this electoral law, the prime minister will still have credibility derived from the direct choice of citizens.