BAD NEWS | January 31

The Ossigeno’s review. Last news about attacks and violations of freedom of the press in Italy and other countries and about initiatives to tackle the issue

Top News
Ossigeno. 423 Journalists threatened in Italy in 2017
Many episodes certified by the Observatory, which specifies: it is only 6% of the total. The names, the types of attack, the percentages. The alarm on Lazio

Italy. 52.000 journalists received threats, Ossigeno reports. Who believes it?
Who will draw the consequences? The Observatory highlights that 3508 names of threatened journalists in Italy show just the tip of one iceberg that is 15 times bigger

Typologies of attacks and progress period 2006-2017 – SEE

Monitoring Press Freedom: Is Italy the black sheep? No, it isn’t and why
Rankings place Italy 52nd in position, behind all other continental European countries. How they are compiled and by whom. How they can be corrected

Gentiloni: “We have to do more for press freedom”
The President of the Council said so during the tradition press conference of the end of the year, replying to the speech of Carlo Verna, Odg’s president

Ossigeno Legal Assistance. The journalist Stefania Limiti has been held in Rome
She had refused to reveal to the public prosecutor the source of one of her book-investigations on the possible background of the Capaci Massacre. Defense by the lawyer Valerio Vartolo together with avv. Andrea Di Pietro from the Ossigeno Legal Assistance Office

UNESCO. Best practices for monitoring and safety of journalists have been initiated by NGOs
The UNESCO seminar in Sri Lanka showed that many similarities exist between Asia and Europe and highlighted how late Italy is in establishing a national human rights commission

Last Attacks in Italy
Freedom of research. Eni condemned for spurious litigation, requesting 5 million
The company will have to pay 50 thousand euros to the geologist Albina Colella (University of Basilicata) cited for defamation. She comments: “I’m doing a dangerous job”

Reporter of Striscia la Notizia films drug trafficking. Attacked 5 times in a month
Vittorio Brumotti and his crew were attacked in Rome, Padua, Milan and Bologna, between October 31st and December 2nd. After his services arrested some pushers

Rome. Solidarity to Lirio Abbate, still under attack by Carminati’s lawyer
In the appeal against the sentence to 22 years, the lawyer Giosué Naso mocked journalists who, with their investigations, turned on the spotlights on organized crime in Rome

Immigrant trafficking. In Palermo interviewed collaborator of the Guardian
Lorenzo Tondo has discovered that two phone calls have been transcribed in the files of the Palermo Public Prosecutor’s Office with one of his sources. Presented a statement to the OdG

Calabria health commissioner asks 1 million euro to reporter. Court says no
The Civil Court of Catanzaro declared it. Massimo Scura had denounced Adriano Mollo of the Quotidiano del Sud for defamation

Prosecutor’s office incriminates man who has threatened mr Rubano of Striscia la Notizia
A week after the complaint by the satirical news contributor, who received anonymous calls, the Public prosecutor of Vallo della Lucania opened a file

Bari. Two reporters investigated for revealing state secrets
Scagliarini and Longo of the Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno are under investigation for three articles on the background of the dissolution for the Mafia of the Municipality of Valenzano

Monza. Judgment overturned. Former mayor to pay legal expenses to l’Espresso
Giacinto Mariani had cited Fabrizio Gatti and the newspaper for an article on the infiltration of the Casalesi clan in the in Brianza province. In the first degree he had won

Mafia. In Catania pop singers threaten journalists of Meridionews
Luisa Santangelo had highlighted their ties to the well-known bosses Santapaola and Turi Cappello. Wave of insults on Facebook. The reporters denounced the offenses and publicized the episode

Premier of Albania discredits Le Iene report, then backtracks
He had defined as “trash” a report on child laborers in his country. Then he admitted he had spoken without having seen them, but did not apologize

Defamation. Web. Seized 2 articles of Marilù Mastrogiovanni
The inquiry into waste management in Salento was published in Il Tacco d’Italia in March. Also obscured the related posts on the Facebook page

Aosta. Writes: to the shovels 2 out of 18 thousand. Insulted reporter on Facebook
Alessandro Mano was insulted and accused of lack of professionalism by members of the group “Sei di Aosta se”. Solidarity from OdG and Assostampa

Sava (Taranto). Mimmo Carrieri denounces new threats
A confidential source told him: “They want to break your legs”. The journalist has been receiving warnings for some time. Since 2012 he has been under the protection of the Carabinieri

Calabria. Cited reporter. Public prosecutor requests calumny
Adriana Musella, president of the “Riferimenti” antimafia association, falsely accused Alessia Candito (Corriere della Calabria) of having stolen data from her computer

Updates
Libero offensive headlines. Belpietro acquitted
The Coordination of the Islamic associations of Milan and Monza contested the title “Islamic Bastards”, published in 2015 after the attacks in Paris

Pignataro. He did threaten Enzo Palmesano. Sentencing confirmed
By order of the boss Vincenzo Lubrano, Pasquale Cascella blocked the collaboration of the journalist with the Corriere di Caserta

Football. Daspo for the hooligan who attacked the reporter Brenzini
The Genoa Police Headquarters communicated it. The fan for two years can not enter the stadium. On September 30 he had punched the journalist outright

More News
“Libertà va cercando”. The Ossigeno Concert at the Casa del Jazz
An hour of music performed by the “Cercatori di libertà” trio. Vittorio Viviani presented the event. It is the first stage of the “Jazz and human rights” project – VIDEO

Legal fees. Verna holds onto Odg Tuscany-Ossigeno agreement
It foresees legal assistance for a journalist sued spuriously and whose legal expenses are not covered by his publisher. Carlo Bartoli: it is a strategic battle

****

Review of news from partners and international sources
What happens in Europe and beyond to freedom of expression, right to be informed, safety of journalists

From ECPMF
Republic of Macedonia: High time to protect Media Freedom
The joint mission of ECPMF, EFJ, SEEMO and OBCT to observe the situation of journalists and media workers in the country. The on-site research in April 2017 was motivated by the deterioration of the safety of journalists through the increasing number in verbal and physical attacks

#WhoKilledDaphne: joint demand to send special rapporteur for murder investigation to Malta
An open letter to the members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, calling for a PACE Special Rapporteur on Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination and the crimes she exposed

From IPI
Free European Media 2018 (Gdansk, Feb 15 to 16)
Conference aims to address importance of uncensored, pluralistic media for democratic development in Europe

IPI project on ‘fake news’ untangles the debate on disinformation in five EU countries
“Contending with ‘Fake News'” profiles five innovative initiatives to address disinformation in Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Poland and Spain

From Index on Censorship
Index on Censorship joins unprecedented press freedom mission to US
A delegation of global press freedom groups will undertake an unprecedented mission to the United States, reflecting concerns about threats to journalists and heightened anti-press rhetoric

From articolo21.org
Balcani e libertà dei media. Tra cambiamento, fragilità e contraddizioni

From balcanicaucaso.org
Why does a “whistlеblower” remain an exotic phenomenon for Bulgaria?

From UNESCO
UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity Newsletter

MF