The Greeks have elected a new government. But the Belief in the democratic System is deeply shaken. This is also reflected in the distrust of the media.
The government of Greece, Nea Demokratia
Dimitris Boutsikos studied journalism out of Conviction. Not an easy profession in Greece in these times. The confidence of the people in the media is at a low point. “Many Newspapers and other media, it is clear which party you support”, criticized the 20-Year-old from Athens. That’s why a lot of people from the traditional media in Greece.
For the budding journalists of the close entanglements between politics and the media are one of the main reasons for the media crisis in Greece. Many of his country people see the similar. “I’m finding out with friends and at work about the political events,” says a 56-year-old woman from Thessaloniki, after she was choose. The media give no Faith. “The transmitter, line up the events the way you need it. You are at the party, you get money.” Similar to the looks of a 33-year-old seller. He also gathers information in a private environment. “I form my own opinion and sharing with friends.”
Reporting for friends
In places, it was in the reporting in the past election incidents of the fight, which confirm the criticism of many Greeks to your media. Not 24 hours before the polls opened, published Evangelos Marinakis, Industrial and media Mogul, a letter in which he invited all the Greeks go to the polls. He called for a “new era”, without the “lies and dangerous populism”. The prevention of the “sale of the Motherland”. Marinakis, best man and close friend of the newly elected Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, made for the still incumbent head of government Alexis Tsipras is responsible – personally.
Dimitris Boutsikos wants to win back as a Journalist, the confidence of the people.
Marinakis is as a large shipowner, one of the richest and most influential men in Greece. He owns the football club Olympiakos, as well as various TV stations and print media, including the newspaper Ta Nea. This represented a more social-democratic Position to be applied to the Acquisition by Marinakis then but a conservative Agenda.
A variety of private media in Greece, compared to the previous government party Syriza and party leader Alexis Tsipras especially critical. In an Interview for the TV channel SKAI, the acting Prime Minister had to face the hard questions. For his conservative Challenger, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, it was much milder. A slip of the tongue by the presenter Sia Kossioni, who presented the head of the Nea Demokratia accidentally as Kyriarcho Mitsotaki – to German: ruler of the Mitsotakis – made for a cheerful mood. Critical questions had to be Mitsotakis did not like. Maybe because Kossioni is the wife of his nephew, Kostas Bakoyannis, the newly elected mayor of Athens.
The mud battle was
In spite of these incidents, Panagiotis Paschalidis, research associate with ELIAMEP, the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign policy, the coverage of the election campaign and the elections on may 7. July tends to be positive: “It is encouraging that, despite the alarming expectations of not-too-scandalous climate prevailed.
The new Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis promises the Greeks a strong growth
On the contrary, there is Controversy on the level of programs. Here, the media seem to have a positive role to play, since you have not driven the public debate in a more extreme and aggressive direction.”
Nevertheless, the Situation of the Greek media is difficult. On the Index for freedom of the press, Greece is on place 65 – in front of Niger and behind Croatia. Especially the years of the crisis had divided the media world. Although there had been also during this time, journalists who had critically reported, but the economic situation had hampered the free coverage significantly. “Apparently the crisis were forced to make during the economy, many journalists, largely in the positions to have been predetermined by the owner of the media. But there are signs that this Trend is reversed.”
Mistrust into the political System
Also Nikos Panagiotou, Professor at the Institute for media Sciences at the University of Thessaloniki, doesn’t care about the dwindling trust in the professional media in Greece. “The crisis of the media in Europe is not a phenomenon of the last few years. Various studies show that trust in the media has been in decline since 2005.”
Nikos Panagiotou worries about the declining trust in the professional media.
But the mistrust was not limited to the media itself, but hanging closely together with a deep distrust of the political System and its institutions. In Greece this Problem is particularly pronounced. “The perception of the people, that politics and media are closely connected with each other, with the result that turning to alternative sources of information that are much worse. A frightening number of people gives then blind any Blogs Believe, are intertwined much more closely with certain interest groups.”
Of course, the media were not always as critical as it should be. For him, but their reputation is worse than reality. “The media are part of the political system, therefore, relations with the policy, of course. In times when money was there, have not delineated the media enough, so that the image in the eyes of the citizens has worsened. The media now have to show that you can objectively report. We need to look carefully: Who’s not doing a good job and who is not?”
The winner of the election – The conservative Kyriakos Mitsotakis does not need a coalition partner
Young journalists in exchange
For the students Dimitris Boutsikos is also clear that young journalists generation has a lot to offer. And: you look over your box. In a summer program of the University of Thessaloniki 40 aspiring media makers meet from all over the world, among them Boutsikos. For his future, he wants less media and more quality. He wants to stand behind his work and the Public commit to: “We have to win in Greece, the dwindling confidence of the people. And I can’t do that if we change the existing Situation.”