Italian Communist party paper folds after 90 years

The official newspaper of the Italian Communist Party ceased publication, almost 90 years after printing its first issue.

Rome: The official newspaper of the Italian Communist Party ceased publication on Friday, almost 90 years after printing its first issue.

L`Unita, launched in 1924 by one of the founders of Italian Communism, Antonio Gramsci, suspended publication after shareholders failed to agree on a plan to save the debt-ridden daily.

"They killed L`Unita" read the newspaper`s front page on Wednesday -- an issue that consisted almost entirely of blank pages.
The newspaper`s website carried a similar message: "After three months of fighting, they have succeeded: they have killed L`Unita."

The last official circulation figures from April show that L`Unita was distributing around 21,000 copies a day.

The failure of the publishing company to reach an agreement has left some 80 people -- who had reportedly worked the last three months unpaid -- without a job.

There was frustration among some staff that Prime Minister Matteo Renzi`s Democratic Party, a principal shareholder in the newspaper, has not stepped in to save it.
"It is still surprising that the (Democratic Party) has not been able to find a solution," said Luca Lando, who was the newspaper`s editor.

Politicians on both sides of the political spectrum lamented the newspaper`s closure as a blow to media plurality in Italy.

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