Italian journalists to strike over defamation laws
Source: Reuters
Italian journalists to strike over defamation laws
Italian senate passes amendment to a bill that would send reporters to jail but would let editors off with a fine
Reuters
The Guardian, Thursday 22 November 2012 14.13 EST
Italian journalists plan to strike next week in protest against a law that would send them to jail for defamation but would let editors off with a fine, the journalists' union said on Thursday.
The senate earlier passed an amendment to a bill that would set a maximum sentence of a year in jail for anyone convicted of defamation, while editors-in-chief and managing editors face a maximum fine of 50,000 euros ($64,400) or 20,000 euros respectively.
The measure must be approved by the Chamber of Deputies to become law. Italy has more than 20,000 full-time reporters, according to the Journalists' Guild.
Franco Siddi, secretary general of the union, said in a statement that there must be "an immediate and strong reaction by all of Italian journalism against the dark page written today at the senate".
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/22/italian-journalists-strike-defamation-laws
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