Maurizio Molinari, one of Italy’s leading journalists, served until recently as the editor-in-chief of La Repubblica, Italy’s largest and most influential newspaper.
It is a great privilege and honor that Maurizio Molinari will be joining us this coming year as part of the teaching faculty of the School of Communications at Reichman University, bringing students his extensive experience as an editor, journalist, and someone who has stood at the heart of public discourse in Europe.
Maurizio will teach the course “Communication and Democracy” at the International School.
Molinari is a fascinating figure in the world of European media. After October 7, he chose to present in his newspaper the complexity of the war. He came under heavy criticism, was violently attacked, portrayed as a mouthpiece for Israel, and was eventually removed from his position as editor of La Repubblica. Why? Because he sought to tell a complete journalistic story, with shades of gray. Molinari describes the price that Jews—who until recently were an integral part of Italy’s elite—are paying, and the way antisemitism has become intertwined with anti-Zionism in Italy (after October 7).
Maurizio paid a heavy personal price for his decision to cover the war in Israel from a complex, non-one-sided perspective. His story illustrates how journalism is also an arena of power struggles over freedom of expression and truth, and how difficult it is for journalists today to provide a balanced picture of a complex reality in the face of political pressure.
David Zabuloni interviewed Molinari for a profile piece in the newspaper Makor Rishon. In the interview, Molinari also points to what he calls “the eighth arena”—the battle over consciousness and information. According to him, Israel has failed to properly prepare for the hybrid war, in which the physical battlefield and the battlefield of perception are equally important.
You are invited to read the interview, and we warmly welcome Maurizio Molinari to the School of Communication.
PDF | Online version on Makor Rishon’s website
