The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and today issued its support to Italian journalists who have organised an exceptional 24 hour Day of Silence.  Journalists across Italy are refusing to work in a massive protest against the Berlusconi ‘Wiretapping Bill' that would ban journalists from reporting on judicial investigations.

"We have organised the Day of Silence to demonstrate what could happen if the wiretapping Bill was implemented," said Franco Siddi, General Secretary of the Federazione Nationale della Stampa Italiana (FNSI) and Executive Committee Member of the International Federation of Journalists. "Italian Journalists have fallen silent because the government wants to silence them".

Actions include:

Newspaper Journalists refused to work on 8 July so that today most papers were not published. Their online editions have not been updated ;

Newspapers' websites have been asked to replace news items with press releases, images and explanatory information on the right to report and the right of citizens to be informed;

News Agency Journalists are on strike between 7am Friday and 7am Saturday;
Broadcast Journalists are on strike between 6am Friday and 6am Saturday.

Editorial rooms are being occupied in the event of a national emergency. Meanwhile only the minimum information services required by law will be broadcast, i.e. three times a day for five minutes of general news.

See also the recent EFJ Statement

Please send messages of support and Solidarity to the Federazione Nationale della Stampa Italiana (FNSI) at  esteri.fnsi@fnsi.it

Information in Italian: www.fnsi.it