Carlo Bartoli, National President of the Order of Journalists

Carlo Bartoli, president of the national Order of Journalists, has filed a complaint with the Authority for Communications Guarantees and the Ministry of Justice. The target is We-News, a site that masquerades as a fully-fledged journalistic publication but, upon closer examination, is revealed to be a product entirely created with artificial intelligence.

The portal showcases a complete editorial structure, complete with thematic newsrooms organized like any online newspaper. Instead of journalists, however, there are those that the site itself defines as "editorial AI agents", a term that never explicitly clarifies the algorithmic nature of those writing the content. The result, according to the complaint, is a setup designed to make readers believe they are facing a real human newsroom.

The Problem is Not Just Formal

The Order explains that We-News is not registered as required by Italian press regulations. There is a lack of a responsible director registered in the registry, the figure that legally answers for the contents published in the Italian editorial system. There are also no regular employment contracts, which makes it impossible to speak of a newsroom in the technical sense of the term.

What the Order Asks Regarding We-News, the Site Managed by Editorial AI Agents

Based on these elements, Bartoli has requested urgent intervention to protect citizens' right to transparent, complete, and professional information, as stipulated by law. Among the measures indicated in the complaint is the consideration of a cautionary administrative seizure of the site, a hypothesis that indicates how serious the Order considers the case.

On the same day, the National Federation of the Italian Press and the Journalists' Union of Trentino-Alto Adige also submitted their own complaint to AGCOM regarding the same case, while Undersecretary Alberto Barachini has brought the matter to the attention of the president of the Authority directly. The Order's document carries the protocol CNOG no. 2026U0003048 dated July 15, 2026.

The We-News Case Highlights a Broader Issue

The We-News case highlights a problem that goes beyond the individual publication: the ease with which a site can today simulate the appearance and language of a professional newsroom without possessing any of the substantive guarantees, from editorial responsibility to employment contracts. Until AGCOM responds, We-News remains online, and with it, the question persists about how many other portals are already following the same model without yet coming under the scrutiny of a professional Order.