Senate Speaker Pietro Grasso said
Thursday that the subject of the Mafia must never be trivialised
amid a furore over an interview with Salvo Riina, the son of
jailed Cosa Nostra 'boss of bosses' Totò Riina, broadcast
Wednesday by State broadcaster RAI.
"I think that the public service (broadcaster) must not
have news limits, but it must impose a different level of
responsibility and seriousness," said Grasso following an outcry
over the interview with Riina Jr, who has written a book, on
veteran presenter Bruno Vespa's Porta a Porta talk show.
"You must not trivialize the Mafia, and open up to
commercial and cultural operations of this type," added Grasso,
a former national anti-mafia prosecutor.
"A reparatory episode (of the show) does not justify it.
On the contrary, it seems to put the mafia and the State on the
same level".
Vespa has announced that Thursday's Porta a Porta will be
devoted to the fight against organised crime.
RAI Director General Antonio Campo Dall'Orto stressed on
Thursday that the son of jailed mafia chief Totò Riina was not
paid for the controversial interview.
He also confirmed that Riina's son only signed the
authorisation for the interview to be aired at the end - a move
that has raised eyebrows.
"No payments were made," Campo Dall'Orto told the
parliamentary anti-mafia commission.
"The questions were put freely and the authorization came
at the end".
RAI President Monica Maggioni was critical of Vespa's
handing of the interview.
"Hearing the story of that son who does not judge or
condemn his father is difficult to tolerate," Maggioni said,
while stressing that this was not a case of mafia denial.
Campo Dall'Orto said that the new management of the State
broadcaster will have greater supervision of the journalistic
content of its programmes from September.
"This is a period of transition," said Campo Dall'Orto,
who took over at RAI last year.
"First we decided to deal with the (appointments) at the
news services. Then from September 1 it will be necessary to
manage to have supervision of the journalist content".
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