Freedom of the press is a constitutional right in Italy, secured in 1947. After the fall of Benito Mussolini's fascist regime in July 1943, freedom of the press spread slowly from Rome, first to southern Italy and eventually to the north, where it was resisted in northern Italy by the ruling pro-Nazi Italian Social Republic. The Italian government was forced to surrender its monopoly on broadcasting with the advent of cable television. Since the establishment of the constitution there have been at least two major events of violence associated with this freedom. Self-ownership or sovereignty of the individual or individual sovereignty is the condition where an individual has the exclusive moral right to control his or her own body and life. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mussolini redirects here. ... Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Freedom of the Press (or Press Freedom) is the guarantee by a government of free public press for its citizens and their associations, extended to members of news gathering organizations, and their published reporting. ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal         Nazism, or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the totalitarian ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... Anthem Giovinezza (The Youth)¹ Capital Salò Language(s) Italian Religion Roman Catholicism Government Republic Head of State Benito Mussolini Historical era World War II  - Established September 23, 1943  - Disestablished April 25, 1945 ¹ External link The Italian Social Republic (Repubblica Sociale Italiana or RSI) was a Nazi puppet state led by... This article is about the economics of markets dominated by a single seller. ... Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. ... Coaxial cable is often used to transmit cable television into the house. ...

History

The House of Savoy (1861-1922)

See also: Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)

Art. 28. - The press shall be free, but a law shall prevent abuses. All bibles, catechisms, liturgical and prayers books shall not be published without the prior permission of the Bishop. Anthem Marcia Reale dOrdinanza (Royal March of Ordinance)¹ The Kingdom of Italy at the height of its power in 1940. ...

—from the Statute of the Kingdom of Italy, in force in the Kingdom of Sardinia from March 4, 1848

Kingdom of Sardinia, in 1839: Mainland Piedmont with Savoy, Nice, and Sardinia in the inset. ... is the 63rd day of the year (64th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1848 (MDCCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Fascist era (1922-1945)

See also: Censorship under fascist regimes

Censorship in Italy under Fascism Censorship in Italy was not created with Fascism, nor it ended with it, but it had a relevantly heavy importance in the life of Italians under the Regime. ...

The resistance and Allied encouragement

Allied troops liberated Rome in 1944. A surge of political activity followed, previously suppressed by fascist censorship. Formerly forbidden dissident ideas began to be printed in small home newspapers, printed using rotary printing presses and openly distributed or passed from hand to hand around cities and the countryside. This article is about the independent states that comprised the Allies. ... Combatants United Kingdom Indian Empire United States Poland Brazil New Zealand Canada Free France South Africa Italy  (after September 8th) Italy Italian Resistance Germany Italy  (until 8 September 1943) RSI  (until 25 April 1945) Commanders Harold Alexander  (from December 1944) Mark Clark Albert Kesselring Heinrich von Vietinghoff Artillery being landed... Samizdat, book published by Pathfinder Press containing a collection of forbidden Trotskyist Samizdat texts. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

The Italian constitution

The end of the twenty-year fascist era meant the end of repression of many types of civil liberty, including freedom of the press. This provided an important background to the constituente working on the new constitution. Backed by a strong will from the Italian people, the majority of the constituente saw freedom of expression as a cornerstone of the new democratic Italian Republic. There was broad agreement between moderate and progressive forces. Due to the conservative Catholic majority mindset, the constitution restricted freedom of expression for indecent events, publications and public behaviour (such as nudism). A dictionary definition of Indecent not conforming with accepted standards of behaviour or morality. ... A nudist sunning herself on a beach in Formentera. ...

The practical result of this was a limited freedom of press. The right to publish texts, and especially political texts, books and magazines was maintained, but there was strict limitation of the right to publish obscene books, images, radio speeches, films and drama.

The Italian Republic was formed in 1947 and the constitution was approved in the same year. This was a period full of discussion and fighting between the extreme right- and left-wing political parties. The Catholic Church acted as a mediator as well as attempting to defend Christian morality and family values. The Church also tried to ensure equal access to information as well as allowing differing political views. Remnants of the fascist groups resisted these changes. Morality (from the Latin manner, character, proper behaviour) has three principal meanings. ... This article is about family values as a political concept. ...

Article 21 of the Italian Constitution concerns the freedom of all people to voice their opinions openly and legally. It states the circumstances when authorities have the right to censor and how this should be applied. The Constitution of Italy (Italian: Costituzione della Repubblica Italiana) is the supreme law of Italy. ...

All have the right to express freely their own thought by word, in writing and by all other means of communication.

The press cannot be subjected to authorization or censorship.

Seizure is permitted only by a detailed warrant from the judicial authority in the case of offences for which the law governing the press expressly authorizes, or in the case of violation of the provisions prescribed by law for the disclosure of the responsible parties.

In such cases, when there is absolute urgency and when the timely intervention of the judicial authority is not possible, periodical publications may be seized by officers of the criminal police, who must immediately, and never after more than twenty-four hours, report the matter to the judicial authority. If the latter does not ratify the act in the twenty-four hours following, the seizure is understood to be withdrawn and null and void.

The law may establish, by means of general provisions, that the financial sources of the periodical press be disclosed.

Printed publications, shows and other displays contrary to morality are forbidden. The law establishes appropriate means for preventing and suppressing all violations.

—The Constitution of the Italian Republic, Title I, Part I, Article 21

Article 21 and broadcasting

There were political forces which wanted to restrict the new freedom of expression. They created a new state-owned monopoly in television broadcasting, and justified it by saying there was a limited number of broadcast frequencies, which made competition impossible. The RAI was the only broadcasting company until the 1980s when Silvio Berlusconi created a second, private company. This article is about the economics of markets dominated by a single seller. ... Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ...   (born September 29, 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ...

The two companies were used by their owners to show their views on the freedom of expression. The two main political parties, the Christian Democrats and the Italian Communist Party, formed a coalition to try to gain a state monopoly on television. The minority Italian Republican Party, which had 5% of the vote, played a key role in stopping this move. It wanted freedom of transmission. Christian Democracy, (Democrazia Cristiana), the christian democratic party of Italy, commonly called the democristiani or DC, dominated government for nearly half a century until its demise amid a welter of corruption allegations in 1992-94. ... The Fourth Estate The Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI) or Italian Communist Party emerged as Partito Comunista dItalia or Communist Party of Italy from a secession by the Leninist comunisti puri tendency from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) during that bodys congress on 21 January 1921 at Livorno. ... The Italian Republican Party (Partito Repubblicano Italiano) is an old left liberal party in Italy, with roots to Giuseppe Mazzini. ...

The turning point was the advent of cable television. The state could no longer claim there was restricted airspace. Telebiella's thirty-fifth anniversary was marked by a parliamentary debate. A video recorded message by the minister Paolo Gentiloni was broadcast which said cable television had forced the government to address the issue. The constitutional court noted a large difference between the two groups. They emphasised that the political reasons cited by the Christian Democrats and Italian Communist Party were inconsistent. The government, lead by Giulio Andreotti, was forced to change their view due to a lack of support. Paolo Gentiloni (born 22 November 1954 in Rome) is an Italian politician, member of the Daisy—Democracy is Freedom party and currently the Italian Minister of Communications. ... A Constitutional Court is a high court found in many countries which deals primary with constitutional law. ... Giulio Andreotti (born 14 January 1919 in Rome) is an Italian politician who served seven times as Prime Minister of Italy. ...

Limitation of freedom of the press

Mino Pecorelli

In 1979 Mino Pecorelli, a political journalist, announced he had several incriminating documents in his possession. Pecorelli was the editor-in-chief of the political gossip and investigation magazine Osservatorio Politico. The documents allegedly contained facts which could end the career of an extremely influential politician with the initials G.A.. On 20 March 1979 Pecorelli was assassinated. It was speculated that G.A. referred to the prime minister Giulio Andreotti, one of the heads of the Christian Democrat Party. 12 years later, Andreotti was tried for other charges and was given absolution due to insufficient evidence for his suspected links with the Italian Mafia. In 2006, Giulio Andreotti was Berlusconi's alliance candidate for the Italian Presidency. Carmine Pecorelli (September 14, 1928, Sessano del Molise - March 20, 1979) known as Mino, was an Italian maverick journalist with excellent secret service contacts [1], shot dead in Rome a year after Prime minister Aldo Moros 1978 kidnap. ... For other uses, see Journalist (disambiguation). ... The Editor in chief is a publications primary editor. ... is the 79th day of the year (80th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Giulio Andreotti (born 14 January 1919 in Rome) is an Italian politician who served seven times as Prime Minister of Italy. ... Christian Democracy, (Democrazia Cristiana), the christian democratic party of Italy, commonly called the democristiani or DC, dominated government for nearly half a century until its demise amid a welter of corruption allegations in 1992-94. ... This article is about the organized crime groups. ...   (born September 29, 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ...

Giuseppe Fava

Giuseppe Fava was an italian journalist, founder of "I Siciliani" newspaper. Was killed in january 1984 by killers of mafia. Giuseppe Pippo Fava Giuseppe Fava also known as Pippo, (Palazzolo Acreide, September 15, 1925 - Catania, January 5, 1984) was a Sicilian writer, investigative journalist, playwright and Antimafia activist who was killed by the Mafia. ... This article is about the year. ... This article is about the criminal society. ...

The main inspiration of my novels were my own experiences in journalism. I beg your pardon, but I'm very upset by the statements made by a swiss film-director. I realize that there is an enormous confusion about the mafia problem. This swiss gentleman had several small problems with those that in Sicily we call "scassapagliare". Those are really cheap criminals of low rate, the same that can be found all around the world. The "true mafiosi" are not in the streets, dressed as mobsters, but they can be found in other places or in other assemblys. True high standing mafiamen are in Italian Parliament, you can pinpoint several ministers, others are known bankers, and others are those that at this moment are ruling the nation. It is necessary to evidence this paramount misundertanding: we can not call a true mafioso the lesser criminal who imposes you a fee, a quote on your small comercial activity... those are the same small criminals that can be found in every city in italy and abroad, also in Europe. The problem about mafia is much more tragical and important, is a problem regarding the vertex of the nation, a problem that is slightly bringing the country to ruin, and to a definitive moral decadence of the whole Italy Sicily ( in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ...

—Giuseppe Fava in an interview by Enzo Biagi

Enzo Biagi (born August 9, 1920) is a renowned Italian journalist. ...

Giancarlo Siani

Giancarlo Siani was a journalist from Naples, who wrote in the magazine Osservatorio sulla camorra, and later for Il Mattino, the principle newspaper of Naples. He was assigned to the local area editor of Castellammare di Stabia. Siani was killed 23 September 1985 by La camorra, the local mafia, following an investigation about their leader Valentino Gionta. Gionta controlled all aspects of cigarette smuggling in the southern Italy region of Campania. For other uses, see Naples (disambiguation). ... Location of Castellammare di Stabia in the Gulf of Naples. ... is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... For other uses, see Campania (disambiguation). ...

References

• Come ti sei ridotto. Modesta proposta di sopravvivenza al declino della nazione (1ª ed.), book by Curzio Maltese. Economici Feltrinelli, (2006). ISBN 8807840685
• Le mille balle blu. (1ª ed), book by Peter Gomez and Marco Travaglio. BUR Rizzoli, (2006). ISBN 8817009431
• Scritture civili. Conversazioni sul nostro tempo, book by Massimiliano Melilli. Editore Ombre Corte, 2006. ISBN 8887009880
• Europa in fondo a destra. Vecchi e nuovi fascismi, book by Massimiliano Melilli. Editore DeriveApprodi, 2003. ISBN 8888738010

Marco Travaglio (Turin, 1964) is a Italian journalist and writer. ...

Filmography about the freedom of press in Italy

• Rome, Open City, 1944 film, directed by Roberto Rossellini.
• Forza Italia!
• Viva Zapatero!

Rome, Open City (Italian: Roma, Città Aperta) is a 1945 Italian film, directed by Roberto Rossellini. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Roberto Rossellini (May 8, 1906 - June 3, 1977), was an Italian film director. ... Forza Italia (Forward Italy, FI) [1] is an Italian political party. ... Viva Zapatero! is a documentary by Sabina Guzzanti telling her side of the story regarding the conflict with Silvio Berlusconi over a late-night TV political satire show broadcast on RAI-3. ...

See also

• ANSA
• Italian newspapers
• Freedom of press
• Mediaset
• RAI

ANSA may refer to: Alliance of Norwegian Students Abroad Italian news agency ANSA [1] This is a disambiguation page — a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Freedom of the press (or press freedom) is the guarantee by a government of free public speech often through a state constitution for its citizens, and associations of individuals extended to members of news gathering organizations, and their published reporting. ... Mediaset is an Italian commercial television network. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

External links

• The Italian Constitution - translated into english
• Freedomhouse site studying the freedom of press around the World (Italy is partly free)
• LKV.it: come gli stranieri valutano la libertà di stampa in Italia
• OLD: Osservatorio su Legalità e Diritti
• RSF: Libertà di stampa? L'Italia è al 40° posto, dopo Cile e Corea del Sud
• Reporters Sans Frontieres website
• Mediaset TG-COM: l'Italia è al 79° posto come indice di libertà di stampa
• Risorsetiche.it metaportale di informazione indipendente