"Freedom of the press declined substantially around the world in 2003, including a worrisome drop in Italy, according to a survey released Wednesday by Freedom House [3]. "Despite some specific recent improvements, and an overall upward trend towards greater press freedom worldwide during the late 1990s, the last two years have seen a dramatic deterioration," said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, the survey's managing editor. "State-directed intimidation and attempts to influence the media are being perpetrated by governments that seem to be increasingly unwilling to tolerate critical coverage."