Culture And Media
Italy: Berlusconi's spokesman responds to media freedom report
Rome, 21 October (AKI) - The spokesman for Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Wednesday that thanks to Italy's left-wing governments, non-governmental organisation Reporters Without Borders were made famous and given credibility.
"The left has made them become famous like Pink Floyd," said Berlusconi's spokesman Paolo Bonaiuti, commenting on the organisation's latest rankings, which place Italy 49th for press freedom, compared with 44th in the previous report.
Bonaiuti made the remarks to Italian public TV programme Unomattina, adding that remarks by left-wing European MPs about the state of media freedom in Italy are wrong.
"Why do 27 left-wing European MPs accuse Italy over a lack of freedom of information when everybody knows its not true?" he said.
Bonaiuti also questioned why Italy's previous left-wing government did not pass 'conflict of interest' legislation during its time in office.
RSF's report attacked Berlusconi for his control of the media and said Italy lost five spots since the last report.
"In an anomalous situation within the EU, prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi still controls the three channels of public RAI television as well as the leading privately owned radio and television group Mediaset, increasing political interference in their editorial lines and fostering self-censorship on the part of a section of the profession," said RSF in a statement on its website.
"The state of press freedom in Italy, caught between draconian draft reforms and threats from the mafia, is more and more worrying to its European neighbours."
The report also blamed the mafia in Italy as well as the re-election of media mogul and prime minister Silvio Berlusconi for declining press freedom.
"The grip of mafia gangs on the media sector is strengthening and forcing a large number of journalists to tread warily. Silvio Berlusconi’s return to power brings back into focus the question of broadcast media concentration and government control."
RSF ranked Italy behind Argentina (47th), Cape Verde (44th) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (39th) among other developing and non-EU countries.
"The grip of mafia groups on the media has become so threatening that in 2009 these groups were added to Reporters Without Borders’ list of press freedom predators," RSF said.
The RSF report echoes that of US-based non-governmental organisation Freedom House, which earlier this year downgraded Italy to a country with a "partly-free" press.
In Freedom House's rankings, Italy stands at number 73, behind the West African country of Benin, Israel in the Middle East and tied with the tiny South Pacific island of Tonga.
"The left has made them become famous like Pink Floyd," said Berlusconi's spokesman Paolo Bonaiuti, commenting on the organisation's latest rankings, which place Italy 49th for press freedom, compared with 44th in the previous report.
Bonaiuti made the remarks to Italian public TV programme Unomattina, adding that remarks by left-wing European MPs about the state of media freedom in Italy are wrong.
"Why do 27 left-wing European MPs accuse Italy over a lack of freedom of information when everybody knows its not true?" he said.
Bonaiuti also questioned why Italy's previous left-wing government did not pass 'conflict of interest' legislation during its time in office.
RSF's report attacked Berlusconi for his control of the media and said Italy lost five spots since the last report.
"In an anomalous situation within the EU, prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi still controls the three channels of public RAI television as well as the leading privately owned radio and television group Mediaset, increasing political interference in their editorial lines and fostering self-censorship on the part of a section of the profession," said RSF in a statement on its website.
"The state of press freedom in Italy, caught between draconian draft reforms and threats from the mafia, is more and more worrying to its European neighbours."
The report also blamed the mafia in Italy as well as the re-election of media mogul and prime minister Silvio Berlusconi for declining press freedom.
"The grip of mafia gangs on the media sector is strengthening and forcing a large number of journalists to tread warily. Silvio Berlusconi’s return to power brings back into focus the question of broadcast media concentration and government control."
RSF ranked Italy behind Argentina (47th), Cape Verde (44th) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (39th) among other developing and non-EU countries.
"The grip of mafia groups on the media has become so threatening that in 2009 these groups were added to Reporters Without Borders’ list of press freedom predators," RSF said.
The RSF report echoes that of US-based non-governmental organisation Freedom House, which earlier this year downgraded Italy to a country with a "partly-free" press.
In Freedom House's rankings, Italy stands at number 73, behind the West African country of Benin, Israel in the Middle East and tied with the tiny South Pacific island of Tonga.
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