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Source protection is an immutable law of investigative journalism. Multiple journalist and press freedom organizations have gone on alert over allegations surfacing last week of prosecutors in Trapani, Sicily wiretapping Italian reporters. “Who ordered such measures and why?” asked Italian National Press Federation (FNSI). Italy’s Justice Minister Marta Cartabia has requested an “urgent” investigation.
Sicilian magistrates have been investigating humanitarian rescue groups Save The Children, Doctors Without Borders and Jugend Rettet for years, perhaps since 2016, looking for links to Mediterranean people smugglers, reported Rome newspaper Domani (April 2). Obtained were documents and wiretap transcripts, reportedly 29 thousand pages. Wiretap targets suspect a more sinister purpose. (See more about investigative reporting here)
Freelance investigative journalist Nancy Porsia, who has been working from Libya since 2013, was wiretapped speaking to her attorney Alessandra Ballerini. "There is nothing in the documents about what I discussed with my Libyan sources,” she said to Il Manifesto (April 7). “I fear that those recordings ended up elsewhere,” suggesting that elsewhere might be the Central Police Operations Service of the Interior Ministry. Sra Porsia is a regular contributor to Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano as well as the (UK) Guardian, Italian public broadcaster RAI and German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle. (See more about media in Italy here)
At least 15 reporters were wiretapped. Most - not all - are aligned with left-leaning and progressive news organizations including progressive Catholic newspaper Avvenire, Rome-based Radio Radicale, news magazine L’Espresso and conservative daily Il Giornale. Domani was launched as an investigative news portal last September by renowned Italian published Carlo De Benedetti.
Election media coverage is remarkably standardized. Political parties and candidates stake out positions. Reporters then chase down the details, inconsistencies and the weird bits. All of this is displayed for readers, listeners and viewers. There’s a bit of back and forth until time runs out and ballots must be cast. Like so much else in the 21st Century, what went on before has now been cast aside.
Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria this past Sunday (April 4). Bulgarians are suffering from worsening coronavirus indicators. Last year many took to the streets protesting persistent corruption. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, leading the center-right GERB coalition, would seek a fourth term. (See more about elections and media here)
Except PM Borisov stopped appearing on television, preferring live video streams on social media unencumbered by irritating reporters. Arguably, this allowed several unknown candidates and new parties to gain traction. During the campaign season there were the requisite TV debates. During this election cycle these were broadcast in the middle of the afternoon rather than prime-time. (See more about media in Bulgaria here)
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) election monitors took note of this. “The media environment remains concerning, however. In particular, editorial diversity and analytical coverage, crucial for voters to make an informed choice, is largely lacking.” said monitoring team leader Artur Gerasymov at a post-election press conference (April 6). Public broadcasters BNR and BNT “refrained from editorial coverage.” Instead, BNT produced a program “The Voices of Bulgaria” filled with paid political announcements. Privately-owned bTV, Nova and Bulgaria On Air used similar productions, also not identified as paid.
Springtime often draws out those shaking off the winter blues. There’s a lot of roaring on leaving hibernation. Continued coronavirus restrictions, despite thoughtful reasoning, have turned these instincts into bellicose demonstrations of rage.
A rally of coronavirus policy opponents gathered in Stuttgart, Germany this past Saturday (April 3). Local authorities estimate roughly 10,000 of them, loosely organized as the Querdenken initiative, generally translated as open-minded or lateral thinker. Just 2,500 were expected. Unsurprisingly, the participants were not socially distancing nor wearing masks.
Beyond the usual chanting and cheering for their own side, aggressive attention turned to news crews, including public TV broadcaster ARD Tagesschau (Daily Show), screaming the usual “lying press” and “filthy pigs.” Rocks were thrown. Several reporters were injured. Apparently, there was limited response from local police. (See more about Media and the Virus here)
"Once again, the self-proclaimed lateral thinkers have no inhibitions about attacking reporters as the target of their anger,” fumed German Journalists Association (DJV) federal president Frank Überall to regional public broadcaster SWR (April 4). "I am furious at the apparent inaction of the police officers who did nothing to protect our colleagues. What has to happen before the security forces realize that journalists in Germany can no longer report freely?” (See more about media in Germany here)
The Querdenken folks have also seized broadcast frequencies of public radio WDR channel 1Live to offer their particular worldview. Mysterious interruptions, typically 45 seconds long, affected the broadcasts on one of the channel’s frequencies, noted Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (April 1). A “tinny voice” offered “coronavirus themes from the Querdenken scene.” Pirating a public broadcasting frequency violates German Federal law.
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