Corrado Formigli

"I speak as a father. I believe that children perceive love above all else, regardless of their parents' gender. Of course, in the case of an adopted child, extra care is needed. Parents will have to explain to them in a balanced and careful way what love between two people of the same sex means and their desire to have a child. But I think that a gay couple who want to adopt have already thought long and hard about this."

"(About Marco Pannella) If only a tenth of the support he received while ill had been there before, Italy would be a better country. Thanks mainly to him, some battles have been won: divorce and abortion above all. Another, that of civil unions, if he had been able to fight it on the front line, would have given us a more courageous law. He leaves before seeing the birth of a truly modern nation, where living wills are the norm, euthanasia is a right, and the legalisation of soft drugs is an obvious and severe response to organised crime. Marco was a great, unbearable fighter who was always on the wrong side. A wrong that was only apparent, as when, in 2003, he asked for Saddam Hussein's life to be spared, whose death fuelled future extremists. Or when, throughout his life, he fought against the indecent and systematic violation of the constitutional principle that prison should re-educate and not just afflict prisoners. Dear Marco, you wanted a secular and libertarian country. You left us too soon, but what you sowed will one day blossom."

"Today, the goal of the Islamic State is our social implosion. Its hope is that the refugee crisis will act as a detonator. The caliph has a compelling logic and a marked propensity for Western self-harm. He supports white supremacy, Donald Trump's toupee, burning suburbs, special laws, prisons in the desert, closed communities, banned mosques and burkinis. In three words: the “clash of civilisations”. Granting him this would be fatal."

"Of all the civil servants and politicians, did Ignazio Benito Maria La Russa have to become Vice-President of the Republic? He is the second highest office in the country, comes from a staunchly fascist family and makes no secret of his nostalgia for the twenty years of fascist rule. He may well be a good public servant, but seeing the baton passed from Liliana Segre to a man who refuses to celebrate 25 April and who keeps many statues and memorabilia of Il Duce in his home is shocking, and not just to me."

"To be honest, I don't really like election campaigns. Seeing politicians say the same things every day isn't interesting [...] I prefer a more in-depth narrative that doesn't follow the latest controversy of the day. Talking only about bills is a bit of an excuse for not addressing other issues."

"I don't think Meloni is a fascist, in fact I rule it out. I don't think the Balilla will return. However, I fear a retreat from democracy and that the authoritarian Polish-Hungarian model will also advance in our country. In 2014, Orban defined Hungary as an illiberal democracy. Does Giorgia Meloni agree? I think there is a problem with fascism in her party, in the lower echelons of the leadership, in the suburbs. It is clear that some of her leaders and part of the electorate are uncomfortable with democracy, and she knows this very well. I would like to ask her if she is aware that there are some nostalgics in Fratelli d'Italia and if she would like to state that she does not want the votes of fascists. I would also like her to remove the flames, as they are a fascist symbol. I claim the right to raise these issues, even though I know you would react very badly."

"I produce reports with the aim of informing voters. Shouldn't we have talked about the Lega, Fratelli d'Italia and the Black Lobby during the election campaign? And when should we have done so? For me, democracy means supporting the fact that a person gives the Roman salute at a public meeting, and it is also democracy that that person is voted for and elected anyway."

"The interviews we see on many programmes only serve to reinforce everyone's convictions, they do not change a single vote and, in my opinion, they are useless."

"I am convinced that the right wing parties has stirred up fears and contributed in recent years to creating a climate of aggression towards foreigners."

"The fundamental mission for talk shows is to overcome laziness. When certain formats work and are successful, we tend to repeat them endlessly. My obsession, on the contrary, is to try to have an unexpected situation or guest. We presenters are marathon runners, we are on video for many weeks. Sometimes there is a temptation to take refuge in a safe construction. And that is a great danger."

"[Speaking of Piazzapulita] [...] My problem is not Rete4, but Rai3. I have always looked at Rai3's offering, because there is greater exchange between Rai – and especially the third channel – and La7. Viewers choose based on channel affinity. If a viewer changes channels from Rai3, they switch to us and vice versa. They are more contiguous worlds. That's why it's much more important for me to win the challenge with Rai3. Then, if I manage to capture the audience on Rete4, I'm happy, but I think they are more separate universes."

"Interviewer: 'After almost a year, the honeymoon between Italians and the [Meloni] government seems to be continuing. Opposition talk shows like yours are feeling the effects.'] Formigli: [...] There is a country that wants revenge and has felt underrepresented for years. This desire to exist, to count and to take revenge on the left-wing power bloc is reflected in Rete4's programmes. The desire for revenge has kept Mediaset's audience high. Objectively speaking, the last elections saw a historic break, for better or for worse. This momentous event is being played out on Mediaset's networks, and I am not surprised."

"Interviewer: 'Does it still make sense to cry out about the danger of fascism, or does this risk fuelling a narrative that is now outdated? Formigli: It is clear that there is also a problem related to memory. I cannot stand those who are annoyed when the issue of fascism is raised. We have striking examples, starting with a president of the Senate who does not celebrate 25 April and who claimed that those killed in Via Rasella were semi-retired musicians. [...] Not to mention that fascist salutes continue to be used in the lower echelons of Fratelli d'Italia, with someone popping up every now and then. When Meloni openly declares herself to be anti-fascist, I think the controversy will end. But at that point, she will have to expel certain elements from her party."

"('He was on Michele Santoro's team and suffered the consequences of the Bulgarian edict) That edict changed my life. Looking back today, it was my good fortune, but neither Mauro Masi nor Silvio Berlusconi could have known that. I was 34 years old and held the position of special correspondent for Rai1 and Rai2. I was locked in a small room for a year, doing nothing from morning to night. I tried to move to Tg3, but they prevented me from doing so. I couldn't move; it was a real case of mobbing. In 2003, I moved to Sky, just before mid-August. I had a permanent contract with Rai and I resigned to take a temporary job with the satellite channel. With the programme “Controcorrente”, I learned to present and deal with an editor. I built my own team there and some of those people are still with me today."

"I like a young person who fights for the environment, even if he is naive and impetuous, and I don't criminalise him. It's always better than staying at home and wasting your time on TikTok. I really like this little finger raised against young people who throw washable paint at monuments. Those who condemn them are the same people who in the 1970s theorised armed struggle and threw Molotov cocktails. Protests are always extreme, but I prefer them to those who don't care. Interviewer': “There must be a middle ground...” Formigli: Middle ground doesn't get you very far. These protests need to be looked at carefully. It bothers me that they are being ridiculed. I have children and I worry about their future. If I were young, I would be as angry as them, if not more so."

"I have no preconceptions. I've had representatives of Casa Pound in my studio, I've interviewed David Irving, who said terrible things about the gas chambers. I've never given anything away, I just do my job. [...] Talk shows record what is already there, we are seismographs."

"Interviewer: “You also went to Mediaset when Silvio Berlusconi was there.” Formigli: But Forza Italia was in opposition and there was a big issue on the table, the war in Kosovo. Berlusconi was sensitive to the subject, he has never been a warmonger and his latest comments on the conflict in Ukraine prove it. Michele Santoro, with whom I worked, took a critical line. Let's say there was a common sensitivity. Later, when we dealt with other issues and talked about Dell'Utri, the relationship soured and we returned to Rai."