History of Censorship in Italy
The history of censorship in Italy has deep roots, tracing back to the Roman Empire, but it is particularly marked by the oppressive measures during the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini in the early to mid-twentieth century. After Mussolini rose to power in 1922, his government systematically imprisoned political opponents and nationalized media outlets that opposed Fascist policies, effectively controlling the narrative and limiting freedom of expression for over two decades. Following World War II, Italy established a modern democracy, enshrining the right to free expression in its constitution, which also imposed restrictions against content deemed offensive to public decency. However, the legacy of censorship persisted, with organized crime, particularly the Mafia, taking on roles that suppressed journalistic efforts, exemplified by the assassination of journalists in the 1980s.
In recent years, Italy has faced challenges regarding press freedom, ranking low in Western Europe according to organizations like Reporters Without Borders. Influential political figures, particularly Silvio Berlusconi, have been criticized for creating conflicts of interest in media ownership, leading to allegations of "soft censorship." Laws intended to regulate media monopolies have been viewed as insufficient, and journalists often face defamation lawsuits and threats from organized crime. The ongoing tension between freedom of expression and censorship highlights the complexities of Italy’s media landscape, underscoring the need for vigilant protection of journalistic integrity.
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History of Censorship in Italy
Description: Southern European peninsular country in the Mediterranean Sea
Significance: Italy has a history of censorship extending from its ancient Roman Empire to its modern Fascist and post-World War II eras
Italian censorship began at least as early as the time of the ancient Roman Empire; however, no period better represents the dangers and problems of Italian censorship than the Fascist era of the early to mid-twentieth century. After Benito Mussolini led the Fascist Party to power in 1922, he imprisoned most of his political opponents, including the leader of the Italian Communist Party, for expressing views contrary to the interest of the government. The Fascists closed or nationalized all newspapers and other media organizations that expressed any opposition to their policies. During the twenty-three years that Mussolini remained in power, he was thus able to control almost all information disseminated to citizens of Italy, thereby enhancing his personal power and ensuring his continued rule. Nevertheless, his government collapsed after he led Italy into a disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany in World War II.
After the war a modern democracy was established. Italy’s postwar constitution guaranteed the right of all citizens freely to express their thoughts, by any and all means of communication. The constitution unburdened the press from having to obtain government authorization to publish stories. At the same time, however, it forbade publication or display of anything that offended public decency.
Despite Italy’s constitutional protections of free expression, powerful censorship forces remained. The country’s highly organized criminal confederation—popularly known as the “Mafia”—assumed many of the censorship functions previously performed by government. During the 1980s, for example, organized crime was alleged to be responsible for killing nine journalists who were working to expose its activities. In early 1984, Giuseppe Fava, director of the anti-Mafia publication I Siciliani was assassinated.
In the twenty-first century Italy has become known for having one of the lowest levels of press freedom in Western Europe, according to organizations such as Reporters Without Borders (which ranked Italy 73rd out of 180 countries in its 2015 World Press Freedom Index). Some have given credit for this shift to Silvio Berlusconi, who served as prime minister four times, from 1994–5, 2001–5, 2005–6, and 2008–11, and became a member of Parliament afterward. Berlusconi is the controlling shareholder of Italy's biggest commercial broadcaster and is estimated to control 90 percent of the Italian television system overall, creating a conflict of interest. Although Berlusconi was ousted from Parliament in 2013 when he was convicted of tax fraud, organizations such as Freedom House argue that his legacy of soft censorship has left a lasting impact on the state of the media in Italy, and point out that no law prevents a similar situation from occurring in the future. The Gasparri Law, passed in 2004, was allegedly meant to limit the opportunity for media monopolies, but its threshhold of 20 percent of total revenues from the entire media industry for any one broadcaster was actually less restrictive than previous antitrust laws. The law was widely criticized in Italy and abroad.
In print media, journalists who are critical of politicians, powerful businesspeople, and other such public figures are often targeted by defamation lawsuits, and some are jailed, as defamation is a criminal offense in Italy. The Italian press-freedom watchdog organization Ossigeno per l'Informazione estimated that 159 journalists were targeted with spurious legal actions in 2014. Organized crime networks also continue to threaten journalists. Ossigeno per l'Informazione stated that 139 journalists were threatened and 47 attacked in 2014, though none were killed.
In 2015 the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, banned forty-nine books that depicted "non-traditional families," which drew criticism from the Association of Italian Publishers and Amnesty International, among others.
Bibliography
Bonsaver, Guido. Censorship and Literature in Fascist Italy. Buffalo: U of Toronto P, 2007. Print.
Fragnito, Gigliola, ed. Church, Censorship, and Culture in Early Modern Italy. New York: Cambridge UP, 2001. Print.
"Italy." Freedom House. Freedom House, 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
"Italy's Free Expression Hamstrung by Lack of Media Plurality." Index on Censorship. Index on Censorship, 15 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
Nadeau, Barbie Latza. "They're Banning Books in Italy Again." Daily Beast. Daily Beast, 24 July 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
Talbot, George. Censorship in Fascist Italy, 1922–43. New York: Palgrave, 2007. Print.