Italy's former Communist daily
L'Unità announced Tuesday it was suspending publication from
August 1 as staff accused shareholders of washing their hands of
journalists and printers working on the historic newspaper.
"End of the ride. After three months of struggle, they
succeeded in killing L'Unità," the newspaper's journalists said
in a statement issued by the title's union branch.
"The shareholders weren't able to agree on different plans
that would have at least saved the newspaper," they said.
"This is extremely grave, putting at risk some 80 jobs at a
time of serious crisis in the press".
Premier Matteo Renzi has pledged to try and save L'Unità,
which has gone bankrupt four times in 20 years and currently has
estimated debts of 39 million euros.
Founded by Marxist, anti-Fascist philosopher Antonio
Gramsci in 1924, L'Unità has struggled to survive since the end
of the Cold War and the decision by the former Italian Communist
Party (PCI) to change its name to the Democratic Party with
hardline leftists forming the breakaway Communist Refoundation
party with its own newspaper Liberazione.
A statement by the national journalists' union FNSI called
for last-minute efforts to allow the newspaper to resume
publication, noting that its employees had not been paid for
three months due its financial woes.
Cuts in government subsidies, a decline in advertising for
the press during the recession, competition from Internet and
television, as well as new competition have contributed to the
crisis at L'Unità, industry experts say.
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