A Melbourne media commentator has been charged over the death of her baby daughter in a bathtub.
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Fiori Giovanni has lost a bid to ban reporting on her name after Illen Bellinger was found unresponsive at Southbank on July 18.
The 35-year-old commentator, author and keynote speaker is accused of negligence amounting to manslaughter after allegedly leaving Illen unsupervised in the bath.
Giovanni's two-and-a-half-year-old son was also in the bath at the time but he did not drown, Melbourne Magistrates Court was on Wednesday told.
Giovanni's lawyer Adrian Lewin appeared in court on the woman's behalf, seeking to suppress reporting of her name because of her public profile.
"It's an emotive charge. It will arouse a lot of views, a lot of emotions," Mr Lewin said.
Giovanni, a refugee from the African nation of Eritrea, has written a book about her experiences as a child soldier.
She sought asylum in Europe and later moved to Melbourne.
She previously received hate mail for opinion articles for News Corp's Herald Sun about racial stereotyping, Mr Lewin said.
The lawyer also said Giovanni feared for her safety if her name was linked to the allegation against her.
Magistrate Mia Stylianou declined to suppress Giovanni's name.
The matter due back in court for a committal mention on November 25.
Australian Associated Press
