Manlio Morgagni
| Manlio Morgagni | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 3, 1879 Forlì-Cesena |
| Died | July 26, 1943 (aged 64) Rome |
Manlio Morgagni (June 3, 1879, in Forlì-Cesena – July 26, 1943, in Rome) was an Italian Fascist, journalist, former mayor of Milan, former member of the Senate of Italy, and director of the prominent news agency Agenzia Stefani during a period when it was closely aligned with the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini.
Morgagni was born in Forlì-Cesena in 1879. His father was Andrea Morgagni, and his mother was Giulitta Monti. He is the brother of another prominent journalist, Tullio Morgagni. Morgagni gained a diploma from a commercial college. He was initially a supporter of socialist trade unions. He supported Italian intervention in World War I. From 15 November 1914 to 1919, he was administrative director of Il Popolo d'Italia, a newspaper he co-founded with Benito Mussolini. He turned the illustrated newspaper toward support of Fascism, including publishing lavish coverage of Fascist rallies, using foldout panorama images. Along with his brother, Tullio Morgagni, he was one of the founders of the Italian long-distance bicycle race, the Giro d'Italia, under the sponsorship of rival newspapers. In 1919, Arnaldo Mussolini became director of the newspaper, while Morgagni remained in charge of advertising. Morgagni became active in civic politics in Milan, serving as a city councillor from 1923 to 1926, and then as mayor of Milan from 1927 to 1928. In 1928, he founded the agricultural newspaper Nature.
Manlio Morgagni has been described as an "acolyte" of Mussolini, and was an avowed supporter of Fascism. As Chairman of Agenzia Stefani from 1924 to 1943, he steered the news agency towards hardline propaganda in support of Mussolini. Journalists in Italy who opposed the Fascist regime were arrested and imprisoned at the islands Lipari and Lampedusa along with other political prisoners. Agenzia Stefani "systematically distorted the news" under Morgagni. While Italy lacked a propagandist with the individual influence of Josef Goebbels, Mussolini was active in turning journalists into supporters of his regime, including foreign journalists, who he courted and flattered to gain positive coverage in American and European newspapers.
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