Self-censorship, non-papers, attacks on journalists: An x-ray of Greek journalism on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day
An article of mine years ago when he passed the Freedom of the Press gagging act quite timely
Publishers of regional newspapers are receiving a new blow from those who wish to shut them down to silence them by imposing additional tax obligations on them. Why; To keep open only those big newspapers that can be controlled, with the compensation of course. If that's not silencing the truth, what is?
The publishers of the regional newspapers, understandably, demand the maintenance of the mandatory nature of the publication of state registrations after 2021, as a presumption of transparency and information of the market and society. It has already been emphasized to the rulers, after a meeting of the Provincial Press Unions delegation on 16/10/2019 with the Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister and Government representative Mr. Stelios Petsa, that if this publication obligation is abolished, the largest percentage of over 240 of weekly and daily newspapers will be closed.
In other words, this implies the closure of regional newspapers and the enrichment of the large controlled ones. These publications are their main source of income. Mr. Georgiadis assured that an extension will be given, which of course means that they will be abolished because it is a memorandum obligation. This extension is one year, which is presented as a gift to the regional press in the context of supporting the coronavirus.
But what would happen if we were not in the time of the pandemic? The extension would not even be discussed. The abolition is therefore scheduled for the end of 2021 and the 240 newspapers will not have the opportunity to do the necessary planning beyond one year.
In addition to this shameful situation, an extortion has also been imposed on the regional press. The now known 2% on turnover in favor of EDOEAP, because the regional press is a rich industry in some other world.
When the reactions started, everyone was quick to say how right these companies are. But everything remained in words. It should be noted that the regional press never had anything to do with EDOEAP, nevertheless, the losses of millions had to be covered by the backlog of these publishers.
Those who work in the provincial press must now be insured with EDOEAP and businesses are obliged to deposit 2% of their turnover without receiving anything in return.
Even worse, the management of EDOEAP refuses to offer any benefits to those workers who are part-time, on the grounds that their statutes do not allow it. Of course, they ask for the premiums and do not accept to insure businesses that employ less than five full-time employees.
How many blows will the regional press receive from rulers who wish to silence the truth? Without any support, despite the so-called 26% claimed to have been received by the regional press from the Menemume Spiti advertising program, there are testimonies that the percentage is much lower. So what to do with this situation? What will be the impact on society if the bearers of truth are shut down? What purpose and whose goals will this situation serve? The regional press is the one that, in the form of printed newspapers, projects the truth.
They started to silence us with the mask and in the end they will take away our right to freedom. What can we as members of society do about this situation? Let's stand close to the provincial newspapers and support them in any way we can. A small movement for us can mean a lot for the regional press. The support of truth and freedom is vital, which will help us to resist all the extermination plans that have been hatched against the Greek people and from authoritative sources today – https://www.dw.com/
It is no coincidence that for three consecutive years, Greece ranks last among EU countries in Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) Global Press Freedom Index, even though this year he managed to rise from an embarrassing 107th place in the world ranking.The main problem of the Greek media is that they cannot make their money. Firstly, because the Greek market is small and the mass media numerous and secondly, because in the years of the internet the culture of "jampa" has dominated. Indeed, as Greece experienced a ten-year economic crisis, the problem of media survival was exacerbated – and has not yet been overcome.
Media in order to survive need continuous subsidy from their owners and the support of the state. And it is hard to believe that media owners, publishers and channel operators, who usually make their money from other activities, subsidize the loss-making newspapers them out of a deep love for validly informing the public. So the news organizations became more and more… mobilized in favor of the interests of their owners whether they were businessmen or parties.
However, one of the reasons that Greece is so low in the global ranking of press freedom is the inadequate protection of the safety and lives of journalists. The murder of Giorgos Karaivaz from 2021 has not yet been clarified, while several photojournalists are met with violence by the police when they try to do their job. Furthermore, any indication from the outside world that something is wrong with press freedom in Greece is brushed aside by the government and its friendly media as a result of a politically motivated smear campaign.
photo geralt / https://pixabay.com
