Press protests wiretap bill
'Mourning' against 'gag' in several dailies
11 June, 14:24
(ANSA) - Rome, June 11 - The Italian press on Friday came out
with special editions protesting a government bill aimed at
restricting the use of wiretaps and their publication before
trials.Left-leaning daily La Repubblica, a frequent critic of Premier Silvio Berlusconi and his government, ran an empty front page containing only a sticker in the middle saying "The gag law denies citizens the right to be informed".
Le Repubblica, which has often been sued by Berlusconi over its coverage of scandals, has in recent weeks been flagging all of the articles with similar stickers saying "under the gag law you wouldn't be able to read this article".
Il Fatto Quotidiano, a small openly anti-Berlusconi daily, put a black mourning band on top of its masthead.
Meanwhile the liberal daily La Stampa blanked out two regular columns and leftwing daily L'Unita' ran a stark front page with a huge three-line banner headline saying Gag Law Approved, against a black background.
Corriere della Sera, Italy's largest newspaper, did not join the announced 'mourning' move but ran an editorial saying the passage of the bill from the Senate to the House was "a dark page for lawmaking on justice issues".
Sky TV's all-news channel was framed by black bands.
The draft measure would make it harder obtain authorisation for wiretaps, restrict their duration, and slap stiff fines on newspaper publishers and journalists who publish wiretaps before investigations reach trial, a process that can take years in Italy's slow justice system.
The Italian journalists union has called it a "gag" measure aimed at muzzling the press and has announced a full-scale news blackout on July 9 when the bill is expected to complete its final reading in the House.
The union of crime reporters, who would be most directly affected by the alleged 'gag', on Friday announced an "immediate "strike.
Terrorism and mafia probes are excluded from the measure but prosecutors say many mafia cases stem from the investigation of lesser crimes.
The government says the measure will bring Italy into line with other Western countries and prevent the publication of wiretaps that invade privacy but have no bearing on probes.
Centre-left opposition parties have announced drives to have the final law revoked by referendum and have threatened to read out banned wiretaps in parliament.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Party (PD), called for civil disobedience against the measure.
The second-biggest opposition party, Italy of Values, said they would wear mourning bands during the bill's debate in the House. Former PD premier Romano Prodi said he was "very worried".
"La Repubblica's front page expresses my state of mind," he said.
EC TO BE 'VIGILANT'.
The European Commission on Friday said it would be "very vigilant" on the issue of press freedom. The bill was passed from the Senate to the House Thursday despite a boycott by the PD. "The European commission does not comment on drafts of measures which are still being discussed by parliament but it is clear that we are very vigilant on any situation that might create problems," an EC spokesperson said.
