On Silvio Berlusconi, malaria, European institutions, blue-collar workers, freedom of information, debt, financial expectations, emissions, Asia, Peter Mandelson

SIR – Your article on Silvio Berlusconi and the press stated that “Italy’s prime minister campaigns against the foreign media”, and supported this theory with a series of affirmations and allusions bereft of names and dates (“Language problems”, June 20th). I would therefore like to specify that, first, an Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, wrote that “a foreign journalist in Rome was recently summoned to the foreign ministry.” But the very same journalist, Philippe Ridet of Le Monde, immediately denied this and the author of the article admitted his error. To whom is The Economist referring? Second, Mr Berlusconi’s staff have never tried to “get one foreign ambassador to bring journalists from his country into line”. To which ambassador is The Economist referring? Third, it is not true that Mr Berlusconi often sues newspapers. Since his third election as prime minister he has not sued any journalist. ... (link)