mercoledì 14 ottobre 2009

Comparing contrasting articles

What happens? The “Lodo Alfano” is unconstitutional. This is the verdict of the Constitutional Court. Taken by majority: nine growns against six gowns. The 15 judges of the consultation have decided the illegality of the Lodo Alfano, the law that suspends criminal trials for the four highest offices of state.
Consultation has rejected the Lodo Alfano for violating Article 138 of the Constitution, namely the obligation to resort to a constitutional law (and not ordinary as that used by lodo to suspend proceedings against the four highest offices of state). The Lodo Alfano has been rejected also for violation of Article 3 (equality principle).
The effect of the decision of the consultation will be the reopening of two trials against Prime Minister Berlusconi for corruption in judicial and lawyer David Mills for corporate crimes in the sale of TV rights of Mediaset.
During these days I read many articles on the Lodo Alfano, on Silvio Berlusconi and the law against him. Many of these articles were in Italian, but then I decided to broaden my horizons and begin to read also articles of foreign journalists on international newspapers.
All this because I think for my project is important to have an overview and understand what the world thinks about him and Italian politics.
For the Italian newspapers I read 2 articles in newspapers on the right political party and 2 articles in newspapers on the left political party. However, I decided to put the link of all the articles that I have studied.
About Italy I can tell to you that the newspapers of the left or center-left were IL MSNIFESTO and REPUBBLICA while the newspapers right or center-right were LIBERO and IL GIORNALE.
The differences are striking and jump in the eyes ... the articles are completely conflicting.
Despite the newspapers and especially the journalists should not express their opinions, but rather should be limited to recount the events, I see many differences in various newspapers.
Newspapers of the Left parties tell the story with a bit of joy between the lines (well understood even by a child), while the newspapers of the right-wing parties are much more critical and ready to accuse the judges of a a process not true (our prime minister's own words).
But this might almost seem normal considering that these papers, althought they should not be partisan, but they are and they follow the thinking of their political party.
Instead analyzing the international newspapers articles I don’t found conflicting articles, but they agree with the articles that follow the thinking of our left parties. Articles were in fact hiding between the lines, the contentment with the outcome of the process and the rejection of the Lodo Alfano.
I chose this story because it happened a short time and has had worldwide resonance and so I could also compare the views of newspapers and foreign journalists.
So, why the whole world has realized that we have a Prime Minister who seems ridiculous caricature of himself but we didn’t noticed this things?
Why we continue to vote for a man gangster that seems to be born in a holiday village next the sea that looks like the protagonist of a nasty cartoon?
All these thing are strengthening the idea that I carry on with my project.
Now the policy has no meaning, it is just a huge game of money and power, where those who govern do not think about the welfare of his people but but they govern for their own purposes, without thinking of the nation that is leading to disaster, day by day.
Sorry to be so critical and sharp but I live in Italy and my comments stem from the experience. Now if I think the policy I have to laugh ... the same mocking smile that I have when I watch a nasty cartoon.


Links of the articles that I read:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/world/europe/08italy.html?scp=1&sq=berlusconi%20alfano&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/opinion/09fri3.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=berlusconi&st=cse
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6867105.ece
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/sombra/dimision/Berlusconi/planea/Italia/elpepuint/20091005elpepuint_8/Tes
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,653854,00.html
http://www.lefigaro.fr/editos/2009/10/09/01031-20091009ARTFIG00299-le-cas-berlusconi-.php

Things to notice in the articles:
1) Notice how quickly El Pais writes about the resignation of Prime Minister while in Italy this was never spoken.
2) The German newspaper article begins immediately remembered the story of underage girls and prostitutes, as if they were beginning to diminish the image of our beloved Prime Minister and make it seem less serious than its waiver of immunity.
3) In the newspaper Le Figaro they wrote that was won a battle but not the war; I think this is a clear sign of their position against Berlusconi.



Michela Menghini