Select a language
"Basta! We won't pay any more taxes for Santoro and his cronies." After the La Repubblica petition to defend the freedom of the press – which the left-wing daily claims has gathered 430,000 signatures – rival newspaper Il Giornale has launched a campaign to encourage Italy's citizens not to pay their TV license fees. The Berlusconi-owned paper wants to "punish" the national broadcaster RAI for the "disgraceful junk" aired on RAI 2 in a new programme hosted by left-wing journalist Michele Santoro - "Annozero" - with a recent special guest appearance from investigative reporter Marco Travaglio, the author of several books on Silvio Berlusconi. Members of the government claim that criticism of the Prime Minister on the programme was exaggerated.
The opposition is eager to highlight the compromised position of the government, which is advising Italians to refuse to pay for a public service that is in direct competition with Silvio Berlusconi's networks. At the same time, once again in the columns of Il Giornale, high-profile right-wing intellectual Marcello Veneziani has accused RAI of being "a circus... in the pay of the unions, which colludes with the political parties and the 'nomenklatura'."
Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!
It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.
Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!
