Who guards the media gatekeepers?

Posted on August 27, 2009 by chiarasottile

Mediaset, one of Berlusconi’s television channels, refused to broadcast the trailer for the film “Videocracy,” a political film that reveals the relationship between Italian television and the political power players. Let’s recap: Berlusconi-owned Mediaset refused to broadcast a trailer that is critical of the monopoly of Berlusconi? Shocking. It seems that even without airing his trailer the film’s producer, Erik Gandini, made his point.

Filed under: Watchdogs & Transparency | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Duty, dreams, and a doping scandal

Posted on August 26, 2009 by chiarasottile

It is a conundrum that as citizens, family members, and individuals we want concurrently to enjoy our lives but we must also pursue a fruitful career. This is why I know it is a true blessing that I have found a niche in the wide world of occupations that satisfies both.

Filed under: On a personal note..., Reporting for the Associated Press | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Gelato Politics

Posted on August 23, 2009 by chiarasottile

Every trip to Giolitti, the most famous gelato shop (read: culinary extraordinaire) in Rome, is also a political experience.

Filed under: Daily LML | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

The Virgin Mary & Global Domestic Product

Posted on August 21, 2009 by chiarasottile

From business hours to vacation time, the balance between free time and finance time is on a whole different scale in Italy. This difference was central in my realization that my very attitude towards work and August’s slow pace is fundamental to understanding my American identity.

Filed under: Identity Politics | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Speaking Media Parlance

Posted on August 11, 2009 by chiarasottile

Daily LML (Love my life) My first off-the-record interview. The first time my journalistic integrity was tested, my word requested, and my lips sealed. Today’s Associated Press milestone was delivered by the generous hands of an Italian military policeman who I interviewed following the robbery of a Saudi Arabian princess who was vacationing in Sardinia [...]

Filed under: Daily LML, Reporting for the Associated Press | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

You came, you saw, you got ripped off.

Posted on August 5, 2009 by chiarasottile

If you are a tourist in Rome, your water purchase costs more than it does for a local. Your coffee costs more. And your meal costs more unless you know how to deliver the waiter the secret signals that you’re not naïve enough to be extorted.

Filed under: Watchdogs & Transparency | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

“Marshall Plan for the Italian South:” Semantics of Prejudice

Posted on August 2, 2009 by chiarasottile

Berlusconi’s government is calling the infrastructure revival fund the “Marshall Plan of the South,” even though Sicily is a region of Italy, just as is the region of Lazio, where Rome is located. The comparison to the Marshall Plan implies that Berlusconi considers giving funds to Sicily as equivalent to the United States giving funds to Western Europe–that is, foreign countries located oceans away. The three miles of sea that separate mainland Italy from Sicily seem a shorter distance than the miles of political and attitudinal estrangement shown to Sicily in this plan and on a regular basis.

Filed under: Identity Politics, Watchdogs & Transparency | Tagged: , , , , , | 5 Comments »

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