Another nail in the coffin of the free press?

John Heelan says: "El País reports that Serge Dassault, who own the aircraft manufacturer of the same name, has bought 82% of Le Figaro and some 70 other titles. Further he is negotiating a potential merger with TF1, the television group linked to Bouygues, a powerful business specialising in public works. Alarmed at this move, the French socialist parliamentary group pointed out that almost the written press and a good part of the radio and television could be in the hands of industrial groups specialising in armaments or public works, both of which living on State concessions". RH: The Pentagon's role in the movie industry, discussed in Operation Hollywood, is influencing American public opinion in ways it does not understand. Has there been a study of the influence of Berlusconi's media empire on Italian public opinion and policy?