Italian Senate approves cuts to newspapers’ public funding

The Italian Senate yesterday approved a controversial €25 billion austerity programme, which includes cuts to newspapers’ funding budgets, The Financial Times reported.

The economic maneuver was sent to the lower house and is expected to be voted before the summer recess on July 29, according to Il Sole 24 Ore. If approved, dailies like Il Manifesto and Carta could shut down as they rely heavily on public funds, Etcetera explained. Il Manifesto is one of the dailies affected by the budget cuts

Two days ago, journalists from Il Manifesto, supported by the Roman Press Association, protested against the possible budget cuts in front of Congress.

“With [these] cuts, Berlusconi wants to take out a series of right and left wing newspapers,” Il Manifesto’s editor-in-chief Norma Rangeri said, according to Il Corriere della Sera. The maneuver, she added, would affect 90 publications and 4,500 workers.

This is not the first time that public funding reductions to the press have been proposed. However, unlike in the past when newspaper cuts have been taken out of austerity packages at the last minute, the Italian Minister of Economy Giulio Tremonti said there would not be changes to the text submitted to the lower chamber, according to La Repubblica.