RSF warns of Grillo press intimidation

(ANSA) - Rome, April 26 - 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".