Tens of thousands of Italian protesters gathered in Rome to decry censoring of the Italian press, particularly in newspapers. The protest is a response to Prime Minister Berlusconi's law suits against newspapers in Italy and across Europe for their coverage of his scandals involving young women. Berlusconi owns three of Italy's seven free-to-air TV stations and has urged businesses to stop placing advertisements in newspapers that covered his scandals. His critics also claim that he wields considerable influence over RAI, the state broadcasting channel and largest television station in Italy. Accusations of censorship in the Italian media are not new, but reaction on the scale of the protest in Rome certainly is. The city places the turnout at around 60,000, though organizers claim it is nearer to 300,000. In its 2009 survey, the media research group Freedom House lowered Italy into the "partly free" ranking in their press freedom report. The country now ranks 73rd of 195 and has the worst rating in Western Europe. The press freedom watchdog group Reporters Without Borders also says that Italy is faring worse than any EU nation.
By: Megan Shoemate
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment