Italian talk shows fall foul of election law
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Italy's journalists are up in arms after the state broadcaster RAI suspended all its political talk shows until after next month's regional elections. TV officials insist they are only complying with election law, but media unions say it is a bid to stifle criticism of PM Berlusconi's coalition.
Italian viewers tuning in to watch the popular chat show Ballarò on state television last night found themselves confronted with a documentary on the advent of fascism instead. The show's staff were outside the studios taking part in a protest against the decision that pulled them off the air.
Ballarò presenter Giovanni Floris was not the only chat show host to suddenly find himself at a loose end this week. The board of RAI, which runs three of Italy's leading TV channels, voted on 1 March to suspend four political chat shows for a month in order to adhere to a law demanding that the state broadcaster offers equal airtime to all parties.
TV officials say the only way they can comply is to ensure that all the 30 or so parties standing in the elections are represented on every political show - something that would be difficult to squeeze into a traditional talk show format.
Journalists' unions disagree, saying the move is nothing more than "political censorship". They point out that that Mr Berlusconi has a great deal of influence at RAI, whose directors are appointed by a parliamentary committee, and in the past he has complained about the "unacceptable" criticism coming from the national channels.
The programmes that have been most active in pursuing stories about Mr Berlusconi's alleged involvement in sex scandals and corruption are the now-suspended political talk shows, such as Ballarò and Channel Two's Annozero.
Despite his reputation as the "Teflon PM", Silvio Berlusconi's alleged involvement in an extensive series of scandals seem to finally be taking a toll on his popularity, which has fallen over the last 18 months from 60 to 46 per cent. As a result, the 28-29 March regional elections are seen as crucial in determining whether the prime minister's increasingly shaky ruling coalition can hold things together.
