Giada Oricchio April 29, 2022
Sensational expulsion from L’Aria che Tira: An angry Myrta Merlino sends Vladislav Maistrouk away. During LA7’s live coverage of the political talk on Friday, April 29, the Ukrainian journalist, shocked by the death of a colleague after the Russian missile attack on Kyiv, is visibly changed: “They struck when the UN Secretary Guterres was visiting, It’s like shooting blue helmets. To the various Italian propagandists who dress up as journalists and tell them that we have to come to an understanding, I say: go and tell Putin! Tell him to stop shooting and not to surrender to the Ukrainians! “. Maria Giovanna Maglie feels challenged and replies that she is uncomfortable with this course of action and useless to her country’s cause. It is the fuse that ignites the fight. Maistrouk yells that he doesn’t care and that Italian journalists are just “babblers, never propose anything, we Ukrainians are the first to want peace, not you who feel comfortable in living rooms. Telling nonsense”. The writer jumps out: “You’re crazy! You’re not okay! Thank heavens you’re far away, that no one got two slaps from you!”.
A threat that doesn’t blame Merlin like he would have if he’d been a man to a woman. Maistrouk is furious, accuses the moderator of bad information and also scolds the journalist Francesco Borgonovo, who is defined as a “Putinian propagandist, nobody knows who is financing it, it’s a question of mental hygiene for everyone”. Merlin, concerned about the harshness of the tones, urges the Ukrainian journalist not to offend and not to be personal, but he continues to scold. Not even a second attempt to restore calm is successful. Maistrouk throws himself into a journalism lesson and Merlin is furious: “Calm down! Always with Tranquillity! Please calm down! We’ve been reporting on the invasion of Ukraine for two months.”
After another violent interruption, Myrta Merlino claps her hands: “Vlad, no, this is not good. I want to give you a realistic view of the facts. You have to listen to others! You argue by listening to others, otherwise you are doing your cause a disservice and not giving license to who may and may not speak! The Russian regime talks about mental hygiene to gag people, I refuse! I also listen to opinions that I don’t like at all, this is Italy”. Maistrouk’s verbal onslaught cannot be quelled and the presenter makes a drastic decision: “It’s not the way to be on TV. I have to close the link. I hate sending guests away, but that’s not doable, that’s not civil dialogue.” And the journalist disappears from the LED wall.