Italian paper mounts press freedom petition as Berlusconi sues for libel
Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has sued the country's second biggest-selling daily newspaper La Repubblica for libel. He objected to the paper's call for him to answer 10 questions about his relationships with several women.
With Berlusconi's widespread media interests, there is mounting pressure on the paper and the situation is said to be growing more serious by the day.
La Repubblica's journalists believe the libel action is an attempt to stifle a free press. In a statement on its website, the paper says: "The questions addressed to our prime minister are real questions that have prompted people's interest not only in Italy but also in the media across the world."
It has therefore launched an online petition in defence of press freedom that has attracted more than 420,000 signatories. It is hoped to reach 500,000 by 3 October, when a public demonstration is due to take place in Rome.
Among the signatures on the petition are those of four British national paper editors: Alan Rusbridger (The Guardian), Lionel Barber(Financial Times), John Witherow (Sunday Times) and Roger Alton(The Independent). Editors in Germany, France and Spain have also signed. But no Italian editor is on the list.
La Repubblica, which is published in Rome, sells about 540,000 copies a day. Founded in 1976 as a radical paper, it has maintained a centre-left political stance ever since.
To give you some idea of how Berlusconi's loyal media empire is attacking the paper, here's the photomontage that appeared on page 3 of Libero today, lampooning Ezio Mauro, editor of La Repubblica.
4 comments:
ho firmato
sono cose che già sapevo, ma veramente quando le rileggo faccio fatica a crederci ... mi verrebbe da chiedermi "ma come è possibile?" eppure devo rassegnarmi che queste cose non importano a nessuno :-(
Andrea
PS: non proprio a nessuno, però non abbastanza :-(((((
Grande Bacco
Zax, provo lo stesso, mi deprimo tantissimo quando le leggo e penso che l'imperatore e' ancora li e la gente pensa ancora che sia un complotto.
riguardo la liberta' di stampa leggetevi questo articolo
http://www.repubblica.it/2009/08/sezioni/politica/rai-3/santoro-pdl/santoro-pdl.html
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