Journalist Giulia Cortese fined US$5,500 for mocking Italy PM Giorgia Meloni’s height

Meloni reacted on Facebook by saying that the fake image was of “unique gravity” and announced that she would take legal action.

In the exchange that followed, Cortese described Meloni as a “little woman.” She then wrote in a separate post: “You don’t scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you’re only 1.2 metres tall. I can’t even see you.”

Italian media outlets report that Meloni’s height is between 1.58 and 1.63 metres (5 feet, 2 inches, and 5 feet, 4 inches), though she has never officially disclosed it.

Reacting to the judge’s verdict, Cortese said late on Thursday that the Italian government has a “serious problem with freedom of expression and journalistic dissent”.

She added that she may consider appealing against the verdict.

This is not the first time that Meloni has taken legal action against a journalist or someone who had criticised her publicly.

Her far-right government has been accused by the centre-left opposition of using legal action to put pressure on journalists and critics.

Meloni’s lawyer said she would donate the €5,000 to charity if the sentence against Cortese is confirmed and the money is paid.