Nearly 200 journalists under Italy police protection: Gov’t     

ROME – Agence France-Presse  

Nearly 200 journalists receive some kind of police protection in Italy, the government said on Dec. 6, citing an "emerging phenomenon" of rightwing threats against news organizations.                  

In a statement, Rome's interior ministry said there were at least 19 protection plans for journalists as well as 167 "vigilance measures", such as regular police rounds conducted in neighborhoods where journalists live.                   

The figures were published to mark the inauguration of a coordination center aimed at tackling intimidation against journalists in a country where authorities are still battling the influence of organized criminal groups.          

The statement said 90 cases of intimidation against the media had been reported so far in 2017, down from 114 in the same period last year.                     

Nevertheless, it warned that it would be paying "special attention to the rising phenomenon of threats from neo-Nazi and neo-fascist groups as well as organized crime cells against journalists who through their work shine a light on wrongdoing".

A journalist was attacked last month by an alleged mafioso after asking questions about his links to a fascist organization near Rome.