Italy media slams wiretap ban

Italian media yesterday united behind a protest against a proposed law by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's allies which would ban them from publishing the content of wiretaps during a judicial inquiry.

"The publishers and editors of Italian newspapers as well as the Italian press federation denounce the danger" which the proposed law represents "to complete freedom of information", said an appeal published yesterday in the country's newspapers both from the political left and right.

"The proposed regulations violate the fundamental right of citizens to know and be informed, a vital right for the proper functioning of the democratic process," it said.

According to Berlusconi and his supporters in the media industry, the law aims to "regulate" the wiretap information that is often published in the media with the goal, according to them, of trying to discredit Berlusconi associates before an eventual trial.