Sigfrido Ranucci Removed as Host of Report Amid Internal Conflict and Legal Threats

Sigfrido Ranucci is no longer the host of the Rai investigative program Report. The public broadcaster announced that Giulia Presutti and Daniele Piervincenzi, both winners of Rai competitions, will take over the leadership of the show. Rai stated that the decision aims to protect the image of the transmission and the credibility of the public service. Ranucci has rejected the move, calling the choice of his successors mediocre and claiming the decision is based on political and relational logic rather than professional merit. He has indicated through his lawyer that he intends to pursue a legal battle to defend the independence of investigative journalism.

Rai offered Ranucci three alternative professional paths: a role at Tg3, a position at RaiNews 24, or a correspondence post in Cairo. Ranucci criticized these offers, specifically stating that being sent to Cairo without the security detail he currently possesses would be dangerous. He suggested that the company might hope he would suffer the same fate as Giulio Regeni, a journalist tortured and killed in Egypt. This comment drew sharp condemnation from the Unirai union, which described the comparison as an infaming label and a lack of respect for the deceased.

Internal reactions at Rai are divided. Minority board members have questioned the basis of the decision, while majority board members defended it as a necessary step for the company. Additionally, some Report staff members have threatened to resign if the company does not reconsider the appointment of the new hosts. Outside of the professional dispute, the right-wing party Fratelli d'Italia in Agrigento has questioned the use of a public theater for one of Ranucci's appearances, citing his previous comments about a willingness to dine with mafia boss Totò Riina for professional reasons as disrespectful to the region.