Most newspapers in Italy failed to appear Friday while television and radio newscasts remained silent as journalists and editors staged a strike to protest government legislation aimed at restricting the use by investigators of wire-tapping and other eavesdropping measures.
Il Giornale, owned by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's brother, and the pro-government Libero, were the only two prominent national dailies that were available at news stands. Berlusconi's conservative coalition says the bill is necessary to safeguard privacy, but critics, including many of Italy's judges and prosecutors say it aims to shield politicians, including the premier who has been embroiled in a series of financial and sex scandals.
If approved, the law would curb the recording of phone conversations, an investigative technique currently used extensively in Italy. The bill excludes mafia and terrorism investigations, but critics say that it would cripple probes into offences such as money-laundering and drug-trafficking which frequently lead investigators to organised criminals and terrorists.