Thousands Rally In Rome To Defend Press Freedom; Berlusconi Dismisses As A "Joke"

ROME — Tens of thousands of people, including journalists and media rights activists, gathered in a Rome square Saturday to defend press freedom, accusing Premier Silvio Berlusconi of trying to silence critical voices.

Berlusconi, a media magnate, has dismissed the accusations as a "joke" and the demonstration as a "farce." He said this week that there is more press freedom in Italy than in any other Western country.

Berlusconi owns the country's largest private broadcaster. As premier, he and his conservative coalition have indirect control on the state-run broadcaster RAI.

The premier has recently sued two leftist newspapers over their coverage of a sex scandal that has been engulfing him. He has said during an appearance on RAI that there are "too many scoundrels" in the media.

Many at the rally in a packed Piazza del Popolo in central Rome wore T-shirts saying, "Now sue me, too!" Others held up signs saying, "Scoundrel" or "Art. 21" – a reference to the Italian constitutional article that guarantees freedom of speech and of the press.

The demonstration was organized by the journalist union, and it drew several members of the center-left opposition. Crowd estimates varied significantly, as is often the case in Italy: Organizers said 300,000 people attended; Rome police estimated 60,000.

Berlusconi's critics say he wants to intimidate journalists and manipulate coverage.

"The problem of press freedom in Italy isn't that they can't print the news, it's that when they print it they receive pressure or intimidation," said Angelo Motta, a 22-year-old political science student who traveled from northern Italy to attend the demonstration.

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Media rights group Reporters Without Borders, which took part in the rally, issued a statement this week urging Berlusconi "to put a stop to his attacks and lawsuits against the press" and expressing "support for the media the Italian leader has targeted."

Berlusconi maintains that freedom of the press cannot be confused with freedom to insult an elected official. His spokesman, Paolo Bonaiuti, said: "I have yet to hear a real and concrete reason that justifies all this alarm."

Italian newspapers have been filled with details of the premier's sex scandal, which emerged last spring when Berlusconi's wife announced she was divorcing him, citing his fondness for younger women.

Berlusconi is not the first sitting Italian premier to take legal action against the media.

In 1999, then-Premier Massimo D'Alema, a former Communist, sued a leading cartoonist over a cartoon that suggested D'Alema's coalition partners were on a list of alleged KGB spies. The 3 billion lire (the equivalent of about euro1.6 million) lawsuit was eventually dropped.

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Suzanne Edwards in Rome contributed to this report.

Comments

[strangelet]

I loved the comment:

"Crowd estimates varied significantly, as is often the case in Italy: Organizers said 300,000 people attended; Rome police estimated 60,000."

As is often the case in ITALY? Think 9/12/09, when DC police and Park Service estimated a crowd of 30 to 60K, and the organizers and their friends (Beck, Malkin, etc) said 2 million. Now, that's a real discrepancy.

[kbella]

I was there! Just thought I'd mention that.

Also, I really think public opinion is going to start turning against him. He is really getting buried in this escort scandal, which is pretty funny. His spokespeople just insult the women that he has paid to sleep with or have dinner with---as though it were some sort of one-sided deal. It's ridiculous. They don't understand that if these women are "guilty", then so is their boss.

As for the freedom of the press, things are getting somewhat scary here. The other night RAI told a show that it shouldn't invite one of Berlusconi's escorts onto the show. They actually issued a warning. The presenter had her on anyway. But, the show is in danger of being cancelled because it criticizes Berlusconi. It is ridiculous. There are other shows that might go this way as well.

Berlusconi has got to go, and Italians need to wake up.

[duxguts]

The Italians should consider themselves lucky, they have a press. We did a long time ago but honest news went out the window once the billionaires took over.

[kbella]

Hahahaha..­..you think that Italy has a press when the Prime Minister himself controls at least 90% of television media? Seriously? That's just ridiculous.

[ForeverXL]

Berlusconi is the clown of Europe. It is about time the Italians get their act straight and vote more intelligently in the next elections.

[PhilipTaylor]

Good for ROME!

Defend your RIGHTS!

America could learn from this!

[OneTop]

x 2

[Mike4Obama]

I wouldn't be surprised if the protests were organized by astro-turf organizations much like the initial tea bag parties. Currently, Rupert Murdoch is in a heated war with Berlusconi. Murdoch is trying to do in Italy what he's done in the U.S. and in Great Briton, and that is completely meddle in their politics through his media power.

[Khirad]

Irony being that they're so similar. I've often thought of Berlusconi as the Italian Murdoch - and its leader to boot. I think Rupert is just jealous.

[boredwell]

If Berlusconi believes Italy has "more press freedom than any other Western country" then why is he, the media magnate-cu­m-premier, suing the competition for being critical (of him)?

[romanrose]

And, might I add that the real truth, again, is that Berlusconi, for all his foibles, follies and total ridiculousness, is the only hope Italy happens to have at this moment. But, to really know that, you really need to have a deep, intuitive concept of the Italian reality and the Italian soul.

[kbella]

Excuse me? He is not the only hope. That is absurd. I actually live in Italy. To say that he is the only hope for Italy...wh­at does that even mean? He is trying to curtail the freedom of the press, he has protected himself from litigation while serving as Prime Minister (when he is guilty of corruption), and he is actively trying to subvert democracy. It is a joke to say he is Italy's only hope when there are plenty of other options.

[romanrose]

The real truth is that since the end of the second world war, a coalition of the christian democrats, the socialists and the communists have totally controlled the media -- both print and broadcast -- in Italy and this happens to be the first time since then that the pendulum has begun to swing in another direction. All this "alarm" is trumped up propaganda. The flames have been fanned and the sheep of the populace have responded in kind. In truth, there is no reason at all to be alarmed as this is simply the natural course of events in any and every country after a long period of one line of thinking, one type of collective mentality. Only thing is that in Italy, everything is so much more exaggerated, so much more dramatic. The situation in America, however, is far more grave and serious to those of us who are paying attention. Both here and in Italy the real problem is the reason the opposition cannot accept the fact that the person in charge actually enjoys the support of most of the people. THAT is what really needs to be discussed -- the why of all these histrionics.

[eden4barack08]

WOW! You are the first commenter educated on the reality of this. Everbody else just spouts nonsense without knowing what they're talking about, without ever having been in Italy, or having a clue of the history of that Republic since WWII. They were told by the media to be anti-Berlusconi, and so they gladly oblige without question or deeper study.
I was so glad to read your comment, you have no idea, I wish I could fan you a 100 times. Thanks, and congratulations on probably being the only American, at least from those commenting on HP, to go beyond the headlines and the propaganda of another country. :)

[kbella]

Um, I actually live in Italy. The situation in America is not nearly as grave as it is in Italy. Berlusconi literally controls 90% of television media. How is that anything like the situation in America? Sure, Rupert Murdoch is a threat, but he isn't President of the United States. Berlusconi's approval polls are taken by his own media networks. And even if he does have majority of support, it's because the opposition can't even get their message out there because HE CONTROLS THE MEDIA. It's ridiculous.

[studmoose]

There is no real fredom of expression in Italy.

It is all state controlled and censored by the Vatican. Just ask Sabina Guzzanti.

[LMPE]

Vote the jerk out of office already!

[timmmahhhh]

"Berlusconi Dismisses As A "Joke" "

Berlusconi, YOU are the joke.

[noweknow]

Berlusconi pay prostitutes to have sex with him. He is Italy's shame.

[ImissBush]

since he controls most of the media outlets

sumthing like murdoch
here

[eden4barack08]

No, Murdoch owns more media in Italy than both Berlusconi and the state run media.

[ImissBush]

dont think so

[kbella]

He owns CABLE networks. Berlusconi controls PUBLIC networks. BIG difference.

[DCato]

More than half a century ago British newspaper editor Hannen Swaffer famously remarked that freedom of the press means the freedom to print such of the proprietor's prejudices as the advertisers don't object to. But if democracy is to be anything more than a rubber stamp on the decisions of our political masters then there must be a properly informed citizenry and that needs true freedom of the press. True press freedom is not something that just happens if the government does not interfere. In that case the media will always tend to advance the agenda of its corporate masters and tend towards a bread-and-circuses focus on celebrities and trivialities while those who reject the media are isolated and fall into conspiracy theories and furious resentment. True press freedom is something that must be actively created through laws requiring balance in reporting, broad access for all citizens, and a broad coverage of issues and laws against cross-media ownership and monopolisation.