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Comment by irene fazio on October 18, 2010 at 13:03

What's up whit you?
What’s up with me? What’s up in Italian media industry? This is really an huge topic Emma!
Let’s start with data from RSF: according with them, Italy is 49 out of 175 in the latest worldwide index. “The state of press freedom in Italy, caught between draconian draft reforms and threats from the mafia, is more and more worrying to its European neighbours.”

I would remark on two basic facts :
First, the so called “Interests conflict”: Berlusconi’s family controls Italy’s top three national TV channels, known as the Mediaset empire and as head of government, he has also maintained a tight grip on the “public service” national broadcaster, Radiotelevisione Italiana (Rai). Together, Mediaset and Rai control roughly 90 percent of national audience and advertising revenue shares.
Moreover, as you remember in your post, the law proposed by the Italian Minister of Justice, Angelino Alfano and also called the "gagging law" (legge bavaglio) that limit what the Italian media can report. In particular, it would prohibit the publication or broadcast of any information about the indictment of any individual on any charge until the case comes to court
Face at those big challenges some Italian journalist are trying to struggle this embarrassing reality with some interesting Tv formats or remarkable way to report stories firstly using an inquiry journalism or better called investigative journalism. People as Michele Santoro and his TV format “Anno Zero”, Milena Gabanelli with the broadcast “Report”, the journalist, writer and commentator Marco Travaglio, the satirical cartoonist Vauro, and others.
This is in my opinion the innovation, the change that we have to elaborate. Through their work it’s possible understand the tread and the evolution of an innovative way to do journalism. A new journalism that is able to change the current events and more important do the civil society a huge point of view.

Comment by Kathlyn Clore on June 25, 2010 at 22:19

Agreed, Emma. I just finished reading a press release from the South East Europe Media Organisation about the proposed law in Hungary, which comes to a vote next week:

"The proposed creation of a Media Council has attracted particularly strong criticism. The powerful Council would operate within a new authority created through the fusion of the national radio and television authority (ORTT) and the telecom authority (NHH), and its head would be appointed by the prime minister. The four other members are to be appointed by a parliamentary committee, through a two-thirds majority vote in the absence of consensus, paving the way for ruling party control of the body.

Under the new legislation, officials would also have an automatic right of response to reports they do not like.

Critics of the package have warned that the supervising mechanism it foresees would fail to represent the full political, cultural and social spectrum in Hungary.

There is also strong concern at the suggestion of a media "constitution", ostensibly designed to guarantee "balanced reporting", and the section envisaging mandatory news items considered important for society.

Commenting on the proposed media package, IPI board member and former editor-in-chief of Hungarian weekly newspaper HVG, said: "If the public service part is accepted [on Monday or Tuesday] it will be very serious … They want to control everything.""

Comment by Emma Brewin on June 25, 2010 at 14:14

There seems to be a lot of media regulation going on at the moment in the European region; I'd be interested to hear more about this.

Comment by Kathlyn Clore on June 25, 2010 at 1:05

Is anyone interested in writing about a controversial media law in Armenia? A bulletin from Radio Free Europe this week included two articles about the reactions to the law, but these don't give much background information. I am not finding too much in English about what's happening now, either.

It would be interesting to know what prompted the law, if it is similar to any existing or proposed laws from other countries, why the government (or at least some politicians) supports the bill (ie, what they seek to gain) and how media outlets will try to fight back or work around this.

Here's what RFE has:

http://www.rferl.org/content/Armenian_Rules_Out_Changes_Broadcastin...

http://www.rferl.org/content/International_Organizations_Slam_Armen...

If you or someone you know is interested, let me know!