Category Archives: freedom of speech

Button up

Posted on November 21, 2009 by Charles Lambert

The France Soir correspondent in Rome, Ariel Dumont, has just been sacked for being anti-Berlusconian. This isn’t what the paper says, of course. The editor talks about the need to rationalise its overseas representation for reasons of budget and denies … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, france, freedom of speech, journalism, putin, russia | 2 Comments

Sticks, stones, words, lawyers

Posted on November 15, 2009 by Charles Lambert

That Berlusconi and his associates don’t trust certain magistrates hardly needs repeating. But it’s odd how much faith they put in the due process of law when they’re trying to shut up someone inconvenient. SB’s already brought cases against newspapers … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, freedom of speech, italy | Leave a comment

Filth two

Posted on October 23, 2009 by Charles Lambert

An addendum to yesterday’s post about the holocaust denier who teaches at Rome’s La Sapienza university. There’s been a bit of a kerfuffle about it as a result of the Repubblica article, with the Dean threatening suspension and the ricercatore … Continue reading →

Posted in freedom of speech, italy, lettore, university | Leave a comment

Information in the free world

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Charles Lambert

My thanks (or should that be thnaks?) for this to Cynical-C Blog. It’s good to know that independent journalism is alive and well and educating its viewers in all corners of the free world. The hint of irony you may … Continue reading →

Posted in freedom of speech, rai, television | Leave a comment

Shut yo’ mouth, Part Two

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Charles Lambert

Silvio Berlusconi has just taken the extraordinary step of suing Repubblica on the grounds that the ten questions the newspaper has been asking him (click to embiggen above or see here) since the Papi-and-Noemi shit hit the fan last February … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, freedom of speech, politics, vatican | 4 Comments

Shut yo’ mouth

Posted on August 27, 2009 by Charles Lambert

Earlier this year Freedom House placed Italy 73rd in its liberty of the press league table, classifying the country as ‘partly free’, a status it shares with Turkey, Burkina Faso and Haiti. This is hardly surprising, given that 80% of … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, freedom of speech, rai, television | Leave a comment

Partiality

Posted on June 6, 2009 by Charles Lambert

Italian state television has room for just one programme of investigative journalism. It’s called, all’inglese, Report, and it’s presented by Milena Gabanelli on the minority channel, traditionally controlled by the left in the political carve-up that characterises all aspects of … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, freedom of speech, rai | 1 Comment

All hail, all hail

Posted on May 1, 2009 by Charles Lambert

Two interesting news items in the Italian press today. The first says that Freedom House, which evaluates press freedom throughout the world, has classified Italy as ‘partly free’. It’s at 71st place, alongside Benin and Israel, a surprisingly high position … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, freedom of speech | Leave a comment

Strano is as Strano does

Posted on March 16, 2009 by Charles Lambert

The name of the caterwauling, gesticulating oaf with the slice of mortadella hanging from his lips is Nino Strano, the place – alas! – is the Italian senate. Nino Strano is insulting Romano Prodi and his supporters in the way … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, freedom of speech, italy, politics | 2 Comments

Press freedom in a democracy. Lesson one.

Posted on March 7, 2009 by Charles Lambert

Dario Franceschini, the new PD leader, though probably not for long, suggested  a couple of days ago that the unemployed should receive some kind of indemnity payment from the government. I thought they already did, or at least had the right … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, freedom of speech, italy | 2 Comments