Silvio Berlusconi defends decision to sue newspapers over scandals

Silvio Berlusconi defended his decision to sue newspapers over their reporting of alleged scandals in his private life, claiming yesterday that 90 per cent of the press in Italy was controlled by a “Communist and Catholic-Communist minority”. The Italian Prime Minister said allegations that he was menacing press freedom by suing La Repubblica and L’Unita as well as several foreign newspapers were “a joke”, adding: “Press freedom is not the freedom to mystify, insult and slander, and for this reason I have turned to the magistrates.” An online campaign by La Repubblica in defence of press freedom has attracted more than 275,000 signatures. The Prime Minister insisted that relations between his Government and the Catholic Church were “excellent”. He said that widespread reports of a rift with the Church and the Vatican after attacks by Il Giornale, the Berlusconi family newspaper, on Dino Boffo, editor of the bishops’ newspaper Avvenire, were a lie. Continue ...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6825382.ece