Vittorio Feltri

Vittorio Feltri (born 25 June 1943) is an Italian former journalist and politician. Among the many Italian newspapers he directed, he was most recently the editor-in-chief of daily Libero until 2020, when he ended his professional journalist career due to a number of controversies and disciplinary proceedings. As a member of the Brothers of Italy party, he was a member of the City Council of Milan from 2021 to 2022, and is a member of the Regional Council of Lombardy. He is the author of several books.^[1]

Vittorio Feltri
Vittorio Feltri in Cortina d'Ampezzo in 2008
Member of the Regional Council of Lombardy
Incumbent
Assumed office 14 February 2023
Member of the City Council of Milan
In office 5 October 2021 – 22 June 2022
Personal details
Born	25 June 1943 (1943-06-25) (age 80) Bergamo, Italy
Political party	PSI (until 1994) None (1994–2005; 2009–2021) Liberal Reformers (2005–2009) Brothers of Italy (since 2021)
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Spouses	Maria Luisa ​ (died 1968)​ Enoe Bonfanti ​ (m. 1969)​
Children	4, including Mattia Feltri [it]
Alma mater	University of Bergamo

Early life and education

Feltri was born in Bergamo, Italy, the son of Adele and Angelo Feltri (1906–1949).^[2] His father died at the age of 43 of Addison's disease.^[2] After obtainaning a diploma of window dresser, he graduated with a degree in political science at the University of Bergamo.^[3]

Career

Feltri started his career as journalist in 1962, writing film reviews for the local newspaper L'Eco di Bergamo. In 1977, he moved to the Corriere della Sera. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was also director of Bergamo oggi, L'Europeo, and L'Indipendente.^[1]

In 1993, Feltri refused the offer of Silvio Berlusconi to get involved in Fininvest. The next year, he agreed to become editor of il Giornale, which was owned by Berlusconi, after its founder Indro Montanelli left. He was its editor until 1997.^[1] In the same period, he contributed to other newspapers and magazines, including Panorama, Il Foglio, and Il Messaggero. In 2000, he founded the right-wing newspaper Libero, which he ran until 2009.^[1] In August 2009, he once again became the editor of Berlusconi's il Giornale. In 2016, he returned to Libero, which he directed until 2020.^[1]

In June 2020, Feltri resigned from the Italian Order of Journalists [it], of which he had been a member since 22 September 1969. The choice came after a number of controversial statements related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Italy, and disciplinary proceedings.^[4] The announcement was made by Il Giornale.^[5][6]

Politics

Politically, Feltri declares himself an anti-communist, Eurosceptic, and liberal conservative, with conservative and liberist views of the economy, and liberal views on issues such as euthanasia,^[7][8] prison reform,^[9] prostitution, and recreational drug use.^[10] He also shares Oriana Fallaci's criticism of Islam; his newspaper's chosen headline, Bastardi islamici (English: Islamic Bastards), after the November 2015 Paris attacks caused controversy.^[11]

An advocate of a constitutional monarchy under the House of Savoy,^[12] having taken part at the presentation of the 2001 manifesto of the Italian Monarchist Movement,^[13] he favours a presidential system over the status quo of a parliamentary republic.^[14] He is a supporter of Silvio Berlusconi and Italy's centre-right coalition,^[15] which he saw as the lesser of two evils,^[16] preferring the more right-wing Lega Nord and Brothers of Italy (FdI), who nominated him for President of Italy in 2015.^[17][18][19] In the 2015 Italian presidential election held on 29–31 January, Feltri received 49, 51, and 56 votes in the first three rounds, behind only Ferdinando Imposimato. In the fourth and final round, Feltri finished third with 49 votes.^[20][21]

In 2019, Feltri said that he would be happy if Giorgia Meloni of FdI would become Prime Minister of Italy, and said he had voted for Matteo Salvini's Lega in the 2018 Italian general election and the 2019 European Parliament election; for the latter, he was pleased with Lega and the underwhelming results of the Five Star Movement in the province of Bergamo.^[22] He was later critical of Salvini.^[23] In 2021, he joined FdI of Meloni.^[24] He became the top candidate of the party for the City Council of Milan elections;^[25][26] elected with 2,268 preferences,^[27] he left the office seven months later due to health issues.^[28][29][30] He was critical of anti-vaxxers. For the 2021 Milan municipal election, he said: "I didn't vote myself, they gave me two sheets and I don't understand a damn thing about what was written. I think I voted Sala. I didn't write the name Feltri."^[31] In the 2023 Lombard regional election, as the head of the FdI's party list in support of the incumbent president Attilio Fontana,^[32][33][34] he was elected with 6,076 preferences.^[35][36] As the most senior member of the Regional Council of Lombardy,^[37] he is to chair the first session, which he described as a boredom.^[38]

Personal life

Feltri married Maria Luisa at a young age, with whom he had twin daughters Saba Laura and Laura Adele.^[2] Widowed in 1967 at the age of 24, with his wife dead due to complications of childbirth, he remarried in 1968 to Enoe Bonfanti, with whom he had two children: Mattia, who is also a journalist, and Fiorenza.^[2][39] Feltri is an atheist.^[40] He is a supporter of the Atalanta football club.^[41] Feltri owns a Benito Mussolini's bust. About this, he clarified: "For me, born in 1943, anti-fascism has never been in question. The bust was sent by an innkeeper, nice but very fascist. I put it there so as not to see it."^[42]

On 13 May 2010, Feltri spoke on Animal Awareness Day, expressing support for animal rights positions, in particular against sport fishing and in favour of vegetarianism.^[43] A cat lover, he said he was not completely vegetarian.^[44] Despite the conviction for a homophobic insult in 2011, he joined Arcigay in 2014, stating from the pages of Il Giornale: "We are for freedom, without discrimination, convinced that it is necessary to overcome the prejudices that generate misunderstandings, banalities, [and] boring and stupid insults".^[45]

Controversy and legal issues

In March 2010, Feltri was suspended six months from the professional register for the Boffo case, dating back to August 2009,^[46] and for the articles signed by Renato Farina [it], one of the Italian journalists who wrote for the newspaper directed by Feltri, published after his disbarment from the register.^[47][48][49] Feltri reacted to the news by stating: "I am sorry that I am not a pedophile priest or at least a homosexual semi-priest or a left-wing conductor, but that I am simply a journalist who cannot therefore enjoy the protection of the bishops, nor become a martyr of information".^[50] In Italian political journalistic language, the Boffo method means the activity of denigration in the press based on specially constructed false documents. Feltri later reiterated that the news he published about Dino Boffo, referring to Boffo's conviction of harassment and alleged homosexuality, was true, that he intended to provide information on the hypocrisy of a part of the Catholic world, and that he still felt sorrowful for having caused his resignation.^[51]

In December 2011, the Court of Milan sentenced Feltri to compensate Gianpaolo Silvestri, the former Federation of the Greens senator, among the founders of Arcigay, with €50,000 for a homophobic insult. He had used ad hominem, a strategy of rhetoric also used by the Sophists of ancient Greece, aimed exclusively at damaging the adversary, as opposed to philosopher Socrates, who had the goal of reaching truth.^[52][53] In 2017, Farina said that, according to him, Asia Argento simply chose to prostitute herself in order to be able to make a career. According to Alessandro Sallusti [it], another Italian journalist, there was nothing wrong with this; according to him, it was unfair to sue after twenty years, and having gained fame.^[54]

In 2019, Feltri expressed antisemitic views towards journalist David Parenzo and declared that Jews have bored him with the Holocaust.^[55] During a television interview in February 2021, he was asked by the journalist Barbara Palombelli [it]: "Which relevant people would you like in the new government?". He replied to her "Hitler", provoking controversy both on social media and in the press.^[56] During a television show in April 2020, Feltri considered Southern Italians as "inferior people". His words caused controversy around Italy.^[57] In response, he said that he meant to say they were inferior only and exclusively from an economic point of view, in the sense that the production of material (not spiritual) wealth, according to him, was superior in Lombardy rather than in Campania.^[58][59] He said that he was deeply in love with the city of Naples, its dialect, songs, and culture.^[60]

Works

Feltri is the author of several books, including Buoni e cattivi. Le pagelle con il voto ai personaggi conosciuti in 50 anni di giornalismo (with Stefano Lorenzetto [it], 2015), Il Quarto Reich. Come la Germania ha sottomesso l'Europa (with Gennaro Sangiuliano, 2014), Non abbiamo abbastanza paura. Noi e l'islam (2015); Il vero cafone (with Massimiliano Parente [it], 2016), Chiamiamoli ladri. L'esercito dei corrotti (2017), Il borghese. La mia vita e i miei incontri da cronista spettinato (2018), L'irriverente (2019), Ritratti di campioni. Cronache di un giornalista tifoso (2020), and Come era bello l'inizio della fine. I grandi incontri della mia vita (2022).^[1]

References

1. "Feltri, Vittorio". Treccani (in Italian). Retrieved 25 February 2023.
2. Lorenzetto, Stefano (20 June 2010). "'Appena assunto mettevo i nomi ai trovatelli e tagliavo le rette ai matti'". Il Giornale (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
3. Truzzi, Silvia (23 August 2015). "Vittorio Feltri: 'Per me i giornali sono come le donne, dopo un po' mi stufo'". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
4. "Feltri si dimette da giornalista, Odg Campania: 'Vittoria di Carlo Verna'". NapoliToday (in Italian). 26 June 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
5. "'Vittorio Feltri si dimette da giornalista'". Askanews (in Italian). 26 June 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
6. Girardi, Annalisa (26 June 2020). "'Vittorio Feltri si dimette da giornalista': lo annuncia il Giornale". Fanpage.it (in Italian). Retrieved 25 February 2023.
7. "Vittorio Feltri alla Zanzara: 'Sì a nozze gay e pure adozioni' (audio)". Blitz Quotidiano (in Italian). 31 May 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
8. . Libero (in Italian). 5 January 2015. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
9. Feltri, Vittorio (25 June 2011). "Cari onorevoli, sull'amnistia io sto con Pannella". Il Giornale (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
10. Legnani, Matteo (12 January 2014). "Marijuana, anche Feltri per la legalizzazione". Libero (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
11. Gippetto, Daniele (5 February 2019). "Perchè non bisogna più indignarsi per i titoli di Libero". ParmAteneo (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
12. "Repubblica o monacrhia? Fini e Feltri: si voti di nuovo". La Repubblica (in Italian). 12 October 1993. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
13. . Il cannocchiale (in Italian). 8 August 2005. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
14. Feltri, Vittorio (31 March 2013). "Italia presidenzialista (ma a sua insaputa)". Il Giornale (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
15. Tempestini, Andrea (4 March 2018). "Vittorio Feltri: 'Ecco perché scelgo il centrodestra. Italiani, capite chi vi prende per il culo'". Libero (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
16. "Vittorio Feltri scatenato: 'Silvio Berlusconi ha candidato di nuovo le mignotte: le liste del Pdl mi vanno venire il vomito'. E conferma la voglia di votare per Beppe Grillo". L'Huffington Post (in Italian). 30 January 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
17. "Meloni e Salvini candidano Vittorio Feltri". AGI (in Italian). 28 January 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
18. "Salvini e Meloni candidano Vittorio Feltri al Quirinale". HuffPost Italia (in Italian). 28 January 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
19. Robuschi, Andrea (29 January 2015). . Reporter Nuovo (in Italian). Archived from the original on 19 August 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
20. "A Feltri 49 voti, uno in più di Lega-Fdi". Il Sole 24 Ore (in Italian). 30 January 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
21. "Mattarella elected president of Italy – English". ANSA. 31 January 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
22. Pezzi, Maria (31 May 2019). "Vittorio Feltri, il risultato delle Europee a Bergamo? Il commento con cui spazza via il M5s". Libero (in Italian). Retrieved 6 March 2023.
23. "Milano, Vittorio Feltri eletto consigliere: 'Godo per flop della Lega'". Virgilio (in Italian). 5 October 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
24. "Vittorio Feltri si iscrive a Fratelli d'Italia. Giorgia Meloni: 'Sarà capolista a Milano'". RaiNews (in Italian). 5 July 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
25. "Vittorio Feltri candidato con Fratelli d'Italia: 'Si è iscritto al partito, sarà capolista'". Today.it (in Italian). 6 July 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
26. Marzocchi, Alberto (21 October 2021). "Primo giorno di Feltri in Consiglio tra battute e parolacce: 'Emozione? Solo con le belle donne. Io al Quirinale? Non si guadagna un cazzo'". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
27. "Da Feltri a Pippo Franco, successi e flop delle preferenze". Il Sole 24 Ore (in Italian). 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
28. "Vittorio Feltri dopo la lettera a Fedez: 'Mi hanno trovato un nodulo al seno ma non mi frega di raccontare i cazzi miei. L'ho fatto per lui, si è capito che non ha un raffreddore'". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 19 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
29. Ruggiero, Giovanni (2 May 2022). "Milano, Vittorio Feltri si dimette da consigliere comunale di Fratelli d'Italia: 'Lascio per motivi di salute'". Open (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
30. "Vittorio Feltri si dimette dal Consiglio comunale di Milano". ANSA (in Italian). 22 June 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
31. Lio, Pierpaolo (13 October 2021). "Vittorio Feltri (FdI): 'Credo di aver votato Sala, il mio nome non l'ho scritto sulla scheda'". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 6 March 2023.
32. De Vito, Luca (14 February 2023). "Elezioni Lombardia, dentro Feltri e Del Bono, fuori Gallera e Pregliasco: chi ce l'ha fatta e chi no nella corsa al Consiglio regionale". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
33. Rossi, Giampiero (15 February 2023). "Le pattuglie dei consiglieri". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). p. 11.
34. "Feltri, neo-eletto in Lombardia: 'Prenderò 13mila euro? Per me non sono un ca**o. FdI la pensa diversamente da me sul 41 bis? Me ne frego'". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 15 February 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
35. "Lombardia: eletti Feltri e Luca Paladini, escluso Pregliasco". ANSA (in Italian). 14 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
36. "Regionali 2023, i preferiti della Lombardia". NordMilano24 (in Italian). 24 February 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
37. "Elezioni: Vittorio Feltri più anziano, quasi 80 anni. Il più giovane Michele Schiavi, 23". Il Giorno (in Italian). 14 February 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
38. Montanari, Andrea; Romano, Miriam (15 February 2023). "Lombardia, nuovi ingressi al Pirellone: il più anziano è Feltri che non vuole presiedere la prima seduta: 'Che rottura'". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
39. "Se dice 'Foglio' gli brillano gli occhi – Intervista a Mattia Feltri, giornalista della Stampa (Prima n. 423, dicembre 2011)". Prima (in Italian). No. 423, December 2011. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
40. Milosa, Davide (23 September 2010). "Caso Boffo, Vittorio Feltri verso la sospensione dall'ordine dei giornalisti". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 25 February 2023.
41. Gentile, Marco (11 March 2020). "Vittorio Feltri: 'L'Atalanta mi ha fatto piangere di gioia'". Il Giornale (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
42. . Libero (in Italian). 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
43. . La Coscienza degli Animali (in Italian). 13 May 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
44. Giusto, Eliana (27 December 2015). "Vittorio Feltri, la spiazzante dichiarazione d'amore per la Boldrini". Libero (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
45. "Berlusconi in campo per i diritti gay: 'Serve impegno di tutti'". La Repubblica (in Italian). 29 June 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
46. La Rocca, Orazio (31 August 2009). "Boffo va al contrattacco 'Contro di me una patacca'". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
47. Montanari, Andrea (26 March 2010). "Caso Boffo, Feltri sospeso Sei mesi fuori dall'Ordine". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2023.
48. "Caso Boffo-Feltri: le ragioni della sospensione 'Ha intaccato la fiducia tra stampa e lettori'". La Repubblica (in Italian). 26 March 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
49. "Feltri sospeso per il caso Boffo e per gli articoli dell'agente 'Betulla'". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 26 March 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
50. "Avvenire attacca Feltri: 'Affermazioni di gravità intollerabile contro la Chiesa'". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 27 March 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
51. . Italia chiama Italia (in Italian). 13 February 2010. Archived from the original on 16 February 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
52. Mele, Massimo (21 December 2012). "Feltri condannato per frasi omofobe contro Silvestri". MOSinforma (in Italian). Retrieved 25 February 2023.
53. "Vittorio Feltri è omofobo: lo ha stabilito il Tribunale". Gay.it (in Italian). 12 December 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
54. "Caso Weinstein, il fidanzato di Asia Argento la difende. E a Libero dice: 'Vergogna d'Italia, siete dei maiali'". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 14 October 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
55. "Vittorio Feltri: 'Gli ebrei? Sono decenni che rompono i coglioni con la Shoah'". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 15 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
56. "'Chi vorrebbe al governo?', Feltri risponde: 'Hitler'. Gelo a 'Stasera Italia'". Today.it (in Italian). 6 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
57. Vecchio, Concetto (22 April 2020). "Coronavirus, Vittorio Feltri contro i meridionali: 'Inferiori'. L'Ordine valuta il danno di immagine". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 25 February 2023.
58. "Meridionali inferiori, Feltri: 'Sud offeso? Parlavo del portafogli, mica dei cervelli'". Il Mattino (in Italian). 24 April 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
59. Filograsso, Marcello (26 April 2020). "Non è L'Arena, Vittorio Feltri sui 'meridionali inferiori' e Libero non venduto al Sud". TvBlo (in Italian). Retrieved 25 February 2023.
60. "Vittorio Feltri: 'Non sono razzista, detto verità sul Sud. Pronto ad andare in tribunale'". Il Fatto Nisseno (in Italian). 22 April 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2023.

External links

 

Wikiquote has quotations related to Vittorio Feltri

• Articles written on il Giornale (in Italian)
• Articles written on Libero (in Italian)
• Articles written on Panorama (in Italian)

Media offices
Preceded by Bruno Pievani	Editor-in-chief of BergamoOggi 1983–1984	Succeeded by Office abolished
Preceded by Lanfranco Vaccari	Editor-in-chief of L'Europeo 1989–1992	Succeeded by Myriam De Cesco
Preceded by Ricardo Franco Levi	Editor-in-chief of L'Indipendente 1992–1994	Succeeded by Pia Luisa Bianco
Preceded by Indro Montanelli	Editor-in-chief of Il Giornale 1994–1997	Succeeded by Mario Cervi
Preceded by Daniele Vimercati	Editor-in-chief of Il Borghese 1998–1999	Succeeded by Claudio Tedeschi
Preceded by Mauro Tedeschini	Lead editor of Quotidiano Nazionale 1999–2000	Succeeded by Italo Cucci
Preceded by Andrea Biavardi	Editor-in-chief of Il Giorno 1999–2000	Succeeded by Umberto Marchesini
Preceded by Office established	Editor-in-chief of Libero 2000–2007	Succeeded by Alessandro Sallusti
Preceded by Alessandro Sallusti	Editor-in-chief of Libero 2007–2009	Succeeded by Gianluigi Paragone (ad interim)
Preceded by Mario Giordano	Editor-in-chief of Il Giornale 2009–2010	Succeeded by Alessandro Sallusti
Preceded by Office established	Lead editor of Libero 2016–2020	Succeeded by Vacant