Media blackout as Italian journalists protest muzzle law

ROME - Italians are poised to face a dearth of news Friday, after journalists walked off the job Thursday to protest a recording and media muzzle law proposed by the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Few newspapers are to be published Friday, while radio and television journalists also pledged to join the “day of silence”.

Major newspapers including Corriere della Sera, La Stampa and La Repubblica are to take part in the action.

The protest is aimed at what has been called the muzzle law. It would institute, among other things, prison sentences for journalists and high fines for publishers who release files or tape-recorded conversations related to investigations without prior permission.

The proposed legislation, which has already been approved by the Senate, is to be taken up by the Chamber of Deputies in late July.

Thousands of journalists, people involved in the cultural sector and opposition members had already demonstrated against the law a week ago. The Italian National Press Federation had called for an “information blackout” to follow.

The organisation Reporters Without Borders has also criticised the proposed legislation as “draconian”.

Berlusconi, in turn, has argued that there are too many wiretap operations and that the privacy of Italians has to be better protected. The law would also further limit the use of phone surveillance in criminal inquiries.

Investigators have complained that wiretapping has been crucial in cases that for instance involve the mafia.

Opposition politicians have also criticized the legislation as a “gag law” that would undermine the right to information.