Last but not least: Berlusconi's fight against the "bad" journalists
Berlusconi's fight against rebellious media continues. The "evil" print journalists in particular are a thorn in his side. He accuses them of only spreading rumors. Berlusconi is not a good man to deal with. Claims for damages, character assassination campaigns and requests not to place advertisements in newspapers he dislikes are evidence of this.
Silvio Berlusconi is continuing his battle against the media. At a meeting with his Spanish counterpart, Italy's head of government once again gave free rein to his displeasure: "good information" is provided by television, while the "bad" newspaper journalists defame. A correspondent from the Madrid daily El País countered: "Does the prime minister not believe that his sex affairs are damaging Italy's reputation? And whether he was thinking of resigning? Berlusconi's rescue attempt: "The newspapers are losing credibility, circulation and advertising. That's how you go bankrupt. El País knows all about that," as the Sunday paper puts it.
Berlusconi is not a man to be trifled with. This was already evident in May, when he called on Italian companies to stop placing advertisements in newspapers he disliked. At the end of August, he sued the newspaper La Repubblica for one million euros in damages for unpleasant questions. The media magnate is even demanding two million euros from the small, financially weak left-wing paper L'Unità. In addition, around twenty editors-in-chief at television and the press have been replaced in recent months. Even the directors of bourgeois newspapers and the Catholic editor-in-chief of a bishop's newspaper have been asked by Berlusconi to change jobs.
Berlusconi is not a man to be trifled with. This was already evident in May, when he called on Italian companies to stop placing advertisements in newspapers he disliked. At the end of August, he sued the newspaper La Repubblica for one million euros in damages for unpleasant questions. The media magnate is even demanding two million euros from the small, financially weak left-wing paper L'Unità. In addition, around twenty editors-in-chief at television and the press have been replaced in recent months. Even the directors of bourgeois newspapers and the Catholic editor-in-chief of a bishop's newspaper have been asked by Berlusconi to change jobs.
