[Reader-list] censorship

[Monica Narula]

Apologies to those who might have read this on the Nettime list, but 
i think that this is a very interesting posting. For those who have 
read Jeebesh's piece on the history of the Indian State's attempts to 
control the media, this might seem like a local piece of news. One 
can imagine it happening in this part of the world fairly easily..

Monica

Yesterday a liberticide law has been approved by the Italian Parliament.

  The law clearly state that the publishers of periodical news on the
  web who are not 'professional' journalists (or write on behalf of
  them) could be fined for up to 250 dollars and arrested for up to two
  years, and accused of the 'clandestine press' crime.

  Under the big publishers' lobby pressure they applied the same old
  rules for the printed press to the web.

  A professional journalist is a journalist that is registered in the
  National Order of Journalists (Ordine Nazionale dei Giornalisti). In
  order to be registered you have to take an exam with a National
  Order's members commission.

  Today lots of Italian independent webzine publishers, frightened by
  the announcement, announced to stop the activity.

  By now one of the major tech-zine is promoting a national petition
  against this senseless law.

  In the Italian Constitution is clearly written:
  "Everyone has the right to freely express his thoughts with spoken
  words, press and any other medium".
-- 
Monica Narula
Sarai:The New Media Initiative
29 Rajpur Road, Delhi 110 054
www.sarai.net