The Italian Blogosphere

Who is afraid of the Blogger?

The blogosphere needs to be ruled and Italy is looking for its own way. But still echoes between the Italian bloggers the joke of Bernhard Warner, columnist on timesonline, when in 2007 called the blog-killer law a 'geriatric assault on Italy's bloggers by leaders who barely understand word processor'


By MARCO RICIPUTI
from Ravenna, ITALY


The Italian blogosphere calls it 'blog killer'. It is the law that since 2007 threatens the life of the Italians weblogs. Originally proposed by the centre-left MP Franco Levi, then retired and immediately recycled by the centre-right deputy Roberto Cassinelli, the future of the bloggers in Italy is discussed mainly on the net, surrounded by the indifference of the main media and the sarcastic comments of the foreign press.

The one-man media maker register

The blogosphere needs to be ruled and Italy is looking for its own way. But still echoes between the Italian bloggers the joke of Bernhard Warner, columnist on timesonline, when in 2007 called the blog-killer law a 'geriatric assault on Italy's bloggers by leaders who barely understand word processor'.

The original project, supported by the centre left Deputy Franco Levi, provides for all weblogs and social networks to register with the State. Citizen journalists or movie fans, who wish to share impression on the last Angelina Jolie masterwork, all should to be under the lens of the government and pay taxes, even if they are not a commercial website. A huge register for the far west-no rule blogosphere with all the modern one-man media makers seems to be just one step ahead.

But after one year of e-protest few days ago the project has been retired and immediately the centre-right deputy Roberto Cassinelli has proposed a new law to be discussed. Despite that the 'blog affaire' remain controversy because the spirit of the previous law relive in the second attempt, according to punto-informatico.it, the most authoritative Italian source on new technology.

Weblogs vs. Media concentration

Due the uncertain future, the Italian blogosphere is in turmoil for one year. If the new vision becomes reality all the weblogs that are not registered with the State could be considered 'clandestine press'.

The main concern is about the safe guarding of the web as free area where people can express opinions. Italy suffers of media concentration as stated by freedomhouse.org that classified the press in Italy partly free from 2004 to 2006 because the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi controlled 90 percent of the country's broadcast media and due the concentration of televisions in 2 blocks, Berlusconi's one plus the 3 television stations owned by the State.

In spite of the media concentration the weight of the blogosphere in the Italian political life is increasing. The Italian students have recently busted the protest against the reform of the school system with the tool offered by the net, from blog to blog. But how can be developed a protest like this if a new restrictive law is approved? Shall the students register - and face all the cost of that - the blogs they use to raise the protest?

Another example is the V-Day, which means Fuck off Day, a mass rally against the corruption of the Italian political system, organized by the blog of Beppe Grillo - comedian and political commentator -, almost ignored by the main stream media.

Even if the Italian newspapers have always provided diverse political opinions, including those critical of the government, the fear of the restriction of the freedom of the net leads to some initiatives.

The facebook group 'Salva i blog' - save the blogs - counts more than 22,000 member. Beppe Grillo, who runs according to The Observer the 9th most powerful blog of the world, launched the campaign 'free blogger'.

Are bloggers modern bounty killers?

In the meanwhile, the status of the bloggers has been recently discussed also at European level, in the Culture and Education Committee of the Parliament. The Report on Concentration and Pluralism in the Media in the European Union, drafted in July 2008, states that as 'weblogs represent an important new contribution to media pluralism, their proliferation implies a need to establish legal safeguards'. According the report, the juridical limbo in which the bloggers and social networks live, raises problems of ethics and privacy, and puts journalists and other media professionals under pressure.

Marianne Mikko, centre-left MEP and rapporteur of the committee, remind us that the web is a weapon and unaware or unscrupulous bloggers can kill someone with a word. Anyway, the contribution of these new tools to the media pluralism in an era of media concentration is recognized and the will to regulate them should deal with that.


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(Published: 10.03.2009.)