Gian Marco Chiocci is preparing to leave his position as director of Tg1, the flagship news bulletin of Italian state broadcaster RAI, to become the official spokesperson for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The news, first reported on the front page of Il Foglio newspaper, has stirred a relatively quiet Saturday in the Italian political landscape.
No official comments have been forthcoming from the Prime Minister’s office, Palazzo Chigi. Meanwhile, the journalist convened his editorial staff in the morning, confirming that the Prime Minister had informally sounded out his availability in recent days. However, he sought to downplay the move, stating, “I am not leaving; I am well at Tg1. When a concrete offer arrives that I will accept, I will immediately inform you and the company.” According to the report in Il Foglio by Simone Canettieri, the news is confirmed by “top figures within the government and RAI, as well as the highest echelons” of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party.
The move is reportedly part of Meloni’s intention to “strengthen her communication strategy, inaugurating the second phase of her government—one looking toward the 2027 elections.” Chiocci is said to be considered “a person of absolute trust” by the Prime Minister. The report has caused some embarrassment within RAI’s upper management.
The opposition Democratic Party (PD) has presented Chiocci with an ultimatum. Party member Sandro Ruotolo stated that if the director is indeed destined to become the premier’s spokesperson, he must “categorically deny this hypothesis or resign immediately.” The debate has also reached RAI’s board of directors. Roberto Natale, a board member representing the opposition, declared that “whatever decision the director of Tg1 takes, the damage he has caused to the news program and to all of RAI is done and is serious,” calling it a certification of an unhealthy relationship between the public service and the government.
In his address to the Tg1 staff, Chiocci defended his tenure, citing data from the Osservatorio di Pavia to claim he leads “the most balanced news program on RAI” and attempted to dismiss the reports as mere “rumors.” This claim was later supported by RAI board members from the governing coalition.
The news has also sparked speculation about Chiocci’s potential successor. Names being circulated include an external solution, considered less likely, such as Mario Sechi or Tommaso Cerno. Internal candidates are considered more probable, with the frontrunners being Nicola Rao, head of Giornale Radio and Radio1 since June, and Gennaro Sangiuliano, currently RAI’s correspondent in Paris and a former director of Tg2 who briefly served as Culture Minister.
If confirmed, the move would see Chiocci follow a path from the helm of Italy’s most-watched news program directly to the heart of government communications at Palazzo Chigi.