Tens of thousands of Italians demonstrated in Rome on Saturday against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s grip on the media as he tries to control a sex scandal centred on prostitutes invited to his Rome residence.
Berlusconi has issued writs for a combined €4-million ($5,8-million) against two left-leaning newspapers — La Repubblica and L’Unita — for their coverage of the scandal which has engulfed him since May.
He is also suing foreign newspapers over the scandal.
Berlusconi, who owns three of Italy’s seven free-to-air TV channels, has fought accusations of a conflict of interest between his media empire and his political role ever since he entered politics 15 years ago.
But critics say that since returning to power for the third time last year he has grown increasingly impatient with media scrutiny and sought to silence those that criticise him.
As prime minister he also exerts considerable influence on state television RAI — although one of RAI’s three channels is traditionally close to the centre-left. He or his family control a daily, a weekly news magazine and Italy’s biggest publisher.
He dismisses the recent allegations as gossip and says he is the victim of a smear campaign. Speaking on a television programme recently, he called journalists criticising him ”scoundrels” and ”anti-Italian”.
”SUE ME TOO” Organisers said 300 000 people attended the march in Rome’s central Piazza del Popolo. Some protesters wore T-shirts with the writing ”Now you can sue me too”. A group of musicians played with gags covering their mouths.
”Although there are many newspapers, internet and television channels, this doesn’t mean that there is freedom. Freedom doesn’t exist if a journalist cannot write what he thinks,” said demonstrator Filomena De Filippo.
The Rome protest comes two days after the woman at the centre of the scandal involving Berlusconi said on a television talk show that he knew she was an escort.
Berlusconi’s supporters say the fact that she appeared on state television shows that media freedom is not at risk.
”Freedom of information exists in Italy. Unfortunately, so does freedom of defamation,” said Foreign Minister Franco Frattini on Saturday.
Opponents say media freedom has come under increased pressure in recent months.
A respected news anchor at his Mediaset’s flagship channel resigned in April saying he no longer felt at home ”in a group that resembles an electoral committee”.
With eight Italians out of 10 relying on television as their prime source of information, the main news bulletins at both RAI and Mediaset have given scant coverage of the scandal surrounding the conservative premier.
And Berlusconi has urged businessmen to stop placing ads in newspapers and magazines that attack him.
Freedom House’s 2009 survey of media independence downgraded Italy to ”partly free” and placed it 73rd out of 195. Reporters Without Borders, which publishes its own survey this month, says Italy is faring worse than any other European Union country. – Reuters