Roberto Vannacci and Tommaso Cerno clash over daytime television rules

Program launch and broadcasting debate

On 5 October 2026, journalist Tommaso Cerno presented the second season of his daily political analysis program 2 di Picche, scheduled to air on Rai 2 from Monday to Friday at 14:00. During the presentation, Cerno targeted a broadcasting proposal championed by Roberto Vannacci, an MEP and leader of the political movement Futuro Nazionale. Vannacci's party platform proposes restricting LGBTQ+ and gender-related content during daytime protected viewing hours when children watch television. Cerno rejected the policy, asserting that protection stems from individual freedom rather than state-mandated broadcast bans. He added that removing homosexual figures from television screens would leave networks with nothing to broadcast except commercial advertisements from 08:00 to 24:00.

Vannacci responds on daytime rules

Vannacci responded on 6 October 2026 through the Italian press agency Adnkronos, denying that Futuro Nazionale intended to bar homosexual individuals from television. The MEP maintained that broadcast rules during protected hours would apply uniformly to everyone, prohibiting what he described as gender and homosexualist propaganda. Vannacci directed sharp remarks at Cerno, referencing his past tenure as a Democratic Party senator, his former leadership in the LGBTQ+ rights group Arcigay, his role as editor-in-chief of Il Giornale, and his Rai program. He added that his own heterosexual orientation had earned him neither a mention in Dante's Divine Comedy nor a licence to spout nonsense at the expense of children.

In protected hours, when children are in front of the screen, gender and homosexualist propaganda must not be conducted either by those with homosexual tastes or by those with heterosexual tastes.

Cerno counter-attack and parliamentary ties

Cerno replied that resorting to personal insults reflects a lack of substantive arguments. The editor noted that Vannacci's rhetorical approach mirrors tactics used by the political left, pointing out that the MEP has voted alongside left-wing lawmakers in parliament. Commentary published in Il Giornale by Gonzato also ridiculed the Futuro Nazionale leader, referencing the movement's nine defecting lawmakers. Cerno concluded that Italian citizens would judge the dispute for themselves.

I think that a person who cannot argue without insulting others has a serious deficit of content. Vannacci insults me because he cannot sustain a debate on the merits.

Institutional solidarity from the Senate President

The confrontation prompted formal intervention from Ignazio La Russa, the president of the Italian Senate and the second-highest official in the state. La Russa issued a statement expressing direct solidarity with Cerno following the personal remarks. The Senate president stated that political disagreement and ideological debate cannot justify derogatory references to an individual's private life or personal choices, asserting that private privacy deserves universal respect across public institutions.

Political dissent and debate can never justify personal attacks or derogatory references to the choices and private sphere of a person, which no one may judge and towards which it is right to maintain maximum respect.