David Sassoli

David Maria Sassoli (; 30 May 1956 – 11 January 2022) was an Italian politician and journalist who served as the president of the European Parliament from 3 July 2019 until his death on 11 January 2022. Sassoli was first elected as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2009. Early life and career David Sassoli was born in Florence in 1956 to Tuscan parents from Florence and Prato. His name "David Maria" was chosen by his father in honour of , an Italian presbyter and theologian. He studied at the department of political science at the Sapienza University of Rome. He began his career as a journalist at the newspaper Il Tempo in Rome, before collaborating with various newspapers and the news agency ASCA. His first national premiere was in 1985, when he interviewed the escaped left-wing terrorist Oreste Scalzone at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. That year he moved to the Roman editorial office of the daily Il Giorno, where he followed the main political and news events for seven years. During this period, he was a direct witness to fundamental historical events, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989, being one of the many that brought the wall down physically. He was enrolled in the register of professional journalists from 3 July 1986 on. In 1992, he became a reporter for television news program TG3, and in the same period he collaborated with Michele Santoro for some programs such as and. In 1996, he hosted the program. After a few years, he was appointed anchorman of TG1, where he became one of the most notable and popular journalists in the country. In 2007, when Gianni Riotta was appointed the new director of TG1, Sassoli became his deputy director. Sassoli was also a supporter of, an Italian association which includes journalists, writers, directors, and lawyers, with the aim of promoting freedom of expression.