Rule reminder
Italian journalistic language features: headline ellipsis, nominal style, reporting verbs (dichiarare, smentire, ribadire, precisare), hearsay conditional (avrebbe + participio), attribution phrases (si apprende, secondo fonti), passive voice preference, the 5W+H news lead, Italian political vocabulary (il premier, il Quirinale, la Camera, Palazzo Chigi). Mastering these features together allows you to read and understand Italian newspapers fluently.
Which reporting verb correctly completes this sentence? 'Il portavoce del governo ha ___ le notizie circolate sui giornali, definendole false e prive di fondamento.'