[eccr] Italy proposes new media law

Italy proposes new media law
----------------------------
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi's government has proposed a
wide-ranging bill to rewrite rules on television and newspaper
ownership. The moves have prompted renewed anger from opposition
lawmakers who say Italy's richest man is changing the country's laws for
his own benefit. 

The complex proposal released includes measures that would allow Mr
Berlusconi's company, Mediaset, to keep one of its broadcast television
stations, permit the cross ownership of broadcast and print media, and
would gradually privatise the state network RAI.

"It's a scandal," a leader of the opposition Democrats of the Left,
Vincenzo Vita, told the ANSA news agency. "Beyond every pessimistic
prediction, the conflict-of-interest government is launching a shameful
communications bill," Mr Vita said late Friday. "Mediaset remains
without competition and RAI will be put under the control of the
government." 

The bill would allow media companies to own both broadcast and print
media, which is currently forbidden. Critics say Mr Berlusconi already
controls print media, such as the Milan newspaper Il Giornale, although
the daily is run by his brother Paolo Berlusconi.

The bill also calls for the privatisation of RAI, beginning in 2004. The
plan would prevent people from buying more than a 1 per cent share,
likely leaving overall control in the hands of the government.

The bill will have to be approved in parliament, where Mr Berlusconi's
coalition has a solid majority.

Source: 
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020907/ap_on_re_eu/italy
_media_politics_2 - Yahoo News!

----------------
ECCR-Mailing list
---
To unsubscribe, send an email message to (majordomo /at/ listserv.vub.ac.be)
with in the body of the message (NOT in the subject): unsubscribe eccr
---
ECCR - European Consortium for Communications Research
Secretariat: P.O. Box 106, B-1210 Brussels 21, Belgium
Tel.: +32-2-412 42 78/47
Fax.: +32-2-412 42 00
Email: (freenet002 /at/ pi.be) or (Rico.Lie /at/ pi.be)
URL: http://www.eccr.info
----------------