The recent televised debate between Senator @CarloCalenda and...
Nona Mikhelidze@NonaMikhelidze
5 views
Oct 26, 2025
~2 min read
Advertisement
1
The recent televised debate between Senator @CarloCalenda and Jeffrey Sachs was more than a clash of opposing views on the war in #Ukraine: it laid bare the structural and ethical weaknesses of the Italian media system. By exposing Sachs’s misleading and factually distorted /1
Ander Bruckestand@Ander_Bruckes
Italian Senator @CarloCalenda left Jeffrey Sachs literally speechless and shocked by calling him a liar and a propagandist.
It happened on Prime Time Italian television.
Priceless 🤩
[ENG SUB]
(The 2nd part in the next tweet)
It happened on Prime Time Italian television.
Priceless 🤩
[ENG SUB]
(The 2nd part in the next tweet)
2
arguments, often echoing Kremlin talking points, #Calenda also revealed a broader crisis in Italy’s televised journalism: the collapse of professional ethics,the absence of fact-checking, and the widespread lack of expertise. Italian talk shows, driven by ratings and spectacle,/2
3
have turned disinformation into a form of entertainment.
This debate highlighted how the Italian talk-show format, shaped by infotainment rather than journalism, has become a fertile ground for manipulation and disinformation. The journalists prioritize confrontation, drama, /3
This debate highlighted how the Italian talk-show format, shaped by infotainment rather than journalism, has become a fertile ground for manipulation and disinformation. The journalists prioritize confrontation, drama, /3
4
and “balance” over factual accuracy, presenting propaganda as a legitimate opinion. This structural flaw results in what could be called false equivalence: verified facts and blatant falsehoods are treated as equally valid viewpoints. /4
5
At the heart of this dysfunction lies a serious deontological failure. Basic journalistic ethics, the duty to verify information, provide context, and avoid amplifying lies, are routinely ignored. Figures with direct or indirect ties to the Kremlin are regularly invited without/5
6
transparency, while sensationalism replaces responsibility. There is no accountability: when misinformation is broadcast, it is rarely corrected or even acknowledged.
Compounding this is a pervasive absence of fact-checking. Italian talk shows seldom employ professional/6
Compounding this is a pervasive absence of fact-checking. Italian talk shows seldom employ professional/6
7
verifiers; false claims about NATO “provocations,” “Ukrainian Nazis,” or Western “manipulations” circulate freely and often go unchallenged. Kremlin-controlled outlets such as RT or Sputnik, along with obscure blogs, are sometimes cited as credible sources. Even when falsehoods/7
8
are later debunked, no corrections are issued.
Equally damaging is the lack of expertise among commentators. Many participants have little understanding of Eastern European politics, Russian history, or the historical context of Ukraine’s independence. This ignorance /8
Equally damaging is the lack of expertise among commentators. Many participants have little understanding of Eastern European politics, Russian history, or the historical context of Ukraine’s independence. This ignorance /8
9
encourages simplistic narratives: for instance, that Russia “felt threatened” or that “peace” means conceding to aggression. Complex geopolitical realities are reduced to clichés, creating confusion rather than clarity./9
10
When disinformation is repackaged as debate and ignorance is presented as pluralism, truth itself becomes negotiable. Therefore, the cumulative effect is devastating: the normalization of Kremlin narratives, the erosion of trust in journalism, and the spread of cynicism among /10
11
viewers who can no longer distinguish between facts and propaganda. This is not merely a failure of individual journalists but a systemic one - a reflection of how commercialised and superficial the Italian televised debate has become./11
12
The Calenda–Sachs exchange, in this sense, did not just expose one man’s arguments; it illuminated the structural crisis of an entire media ecosystem in Italy. END
