Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) on
Wednesday warned of press intimidation by anti-establishment
5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Beppe Grillo.
It said that, despite Italy's rise from 77th to 52nd in its
annual rankings for press freedom, "the level of violence
against reporters (including verbal and physical intimidation
and threats) is alarming, especially as politicians such as
Beppe Grillo of the Five Star Movement do not hesitate to
publicly out the journalists they dislike".
Journalists working in Italy "also feel pressured by
politicians, and increasingly opt to censor themselves. Under a
new law, defaming politicians, judges, or civil servants is
punishable by sentences of six to nine years in prison"
Organized crime also remains a problem for those working in
the media, with many journalists "especially in the capital and
the south of the country, say(ing) they are still subjected to
pressure from mafia groups and local criminal gangs", while six
Italian journalists "are still under round-the-clock police
protection because of death threats, mostly from the mafia or
fundamentalist groups".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
