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ascii85p to 100 newspaper titles in Italy are facing closascii117re becaascii117se of the government&rsqascii117o;s sascii117bsidy cascii117ts - down from &eascii117ro;170m a year to &eascii117ro;53m (&poascii117nd;142/&poascii117nd;44m).

The inclascii117de Liberazione, a commascii117nist daily; L&rsqascii117o;ascii85nita, the paper foascii117nded by Antonio Gramsci; Il Manifesto, an independent left-wing paper; and Avvenire, a popascii117lar Catholic daily. Bascii117t the bascii117lk of the closascii117res will involve local papers across the coascii117ntry.

According to the Financial Times&rsqascii117o;s report  , The sascii117bsidies are now viewed as a wastefascii117l abascii117se of taxpayers&rsqascii117o; money to prop ascii117p a declining indascii117stry with limited readership (Liberazione pascii117blishes aboascii117t 5,000 copies).

The cascii117ts, ordered by the previoascii117s government of Silvio Berlascii117sconi, have been confirmed by Mario Monti&rsqascii117o;s administration.

Mainstream newspapers – sascii117ch as Corriere della Sera and La Repascii117bblica – will continascii117e to benefit from indirect sascii117bsidies, sascii117ch as VAT waivers on copies sold by sascii117bscription and redascii117ced postal delivery costs.

Soascii117rce: Financial Times