14 days after the hearing, the Labor Court of Rome rejected the urgent appeal presented by the journalist Sigfrido Ranucci with which he requested reinstatement as host of the program Report after the Rai decision of 28 August last with which he had been removed. The company had offered the journalist three options: deputy management at Tg3 or Rainews, or the correspondence office from Cairo. Proposals rejected by the sender by the former host and who went to court to obtain reinstatement. "It is obvious that I respect the decision: I have always fought for the independence of the judiciary and fighting for such a value does not mean taking off your shirt when it is not convenient for you and then putting it back on when necessary", Ranucci's immediate comment.
In the provision of over 30 pages, the judges retrace the story, also citing the episode of the attack suffered by Ranucci in October 2025 and stating that Rai's decision "to proceed with a reorganization of the editorial team, with alternation of authorship and leadership, appears, upon a summary examination, to be detached from the parallel disciplinary matter and adopted as a means of resolving the situation of internal tension created between the members of the editorial team and, as such, an instrument of protection of the peaceful operation of this in compliance with the law". In the order, the judges also refer to the defense arguments brought to trial by the public company. For Rai "the identification of the host, and the authorial group, of a specific television program" falls "within the prerogatives of the editorial company and is unquestionable. Therefore, the journalist does not have a subjective right to occupy a specific position within the television programming".
Entering into the merits of the matter, the court states that "it must be considered as established, at least at this stage and taking into account the limited timescales imposed by a necessarily summary investigation, that, in confirmation of the reasons although generically expressed in the provision" of the Rai of 28 August, "the events linked to the case of the attack which gradually emerged from the newspaper articles and the outcry that these aroused in the press organs, had created a climate of tension within the editorial staff which affected the profitable operation of the itself, so much so that several editors had felt the need to express this discomfort not only to the Ranucci program manager but also, per saltum, to the latter's hierarchical superior". And again: "the uneasiness expressed by several journalists who were members of the editorial team was confirmed, albeit with different emphases, by Dr. Ranucci himself, also heard at the hearing, who declared on this point: 'They had complained to me, indeed they had pointed out the need to withstand the media pressure together and shore up my position through a reorganisation. They felt the media pressure and therefore had involved me as they were responsible. They needed to shore up reports around me because for 20 years I had guaranteed the existence of the program'"
On any political pressure put in place to obtain a stop from Rai from conducting, the court states "that the proven improper media pressure exerted by prominent members of the Government majority on corporate decisions, aimed at adopting a measure to remove Ranucci, as the only piece of circumstantial data not corroborated by others, does not in itself, taking into account the overall picture of the elements acquired, provide sufficient evidence to believe that effective and decisive interference has taken place".
For Ranucci, "it is a decision that has embraced the idea according to which the media outcry can lead to the replacement of a presenter with an editorial team that has been subjected to pressure and that, consequently, there is no proof that Rai managers have suffered direct influence from politics", he underlines on the sidelines of the event "State Censorship - In support of Report and investigative journalism", organized by ANTIMAFIADuemila in Rome, where he is welcomed with applause. "All the battles I've fought in my life and which led me to 247 complaints, to a bomb, to being suspended and having my salary cut, find compensation only in the affection of the people. You've all seen it: for me it means that I've done well and that's enough for me", adds Ranucci. The journalist's lawyers take "note of the decision which we respect but which we do not agree with. We will evaluate the provision and the further initiatives to be taken in the competent bodies", say the lawyers Franco Focareta, Franco Scarpelli, Stefano Rossi and Roberto De Vita in a note. Rai is satisfied: "It is important to recognize the work carried out by top management in compliance with procedures and their responsibilities. The hope is that this decision will contribute to re-establishing a climate of serenity", comments Rai board member Federica Frangi.
