The austerity policy imposed by Europe bears partial responsibility for the demise of the Greek public broadcaster, the left-liberal daily French Libération writes (June 13): “The consternation of the people of Greece, which has spilled over onto the entire continent, is an appropriate reaction to an act that is hardly worthy of a democracy.
“Antonis Samaris bears full responsibility. Because the Greek prime minister is the one who acted without even consulting his coalition partners. Samaras, who for months has been incapable of introducing the promised reforms and who has been unable to convince a single investor of the merits of the privatisations he’s committed to, must now face up to his responsibilities.
“But the troika, Greece’s creditors, can’t be exonerated. It’s unlikely that the European Commission openly called for the closure of the public radio and television. Nevertheless the obtuse austerity policy imposed on Greece is one of the causes.”
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From De Morgen, Belgium, June 13: “Greece doesn’t have a good reputation regarding press freedom. Last year the country dropped 14 places on the International Press Freedom Index [from 70th to 84th]….
“The private radio and television stations are in the hands of rich oligarchs, almost all of whom amassed fortunes through lucrative contracts with the state. These broadcasters are a far cry from objective reporting (and even ERT wasn’t always a paragon of objectivity). In addition, the names of almost all the owners come up in one way or another in connection with the Lagarde list.
“This decision has done nothing to improve the quality of reporting in Greece, and democracy has been dealt a hard blow by the blind cost-cutting frenzy.”
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THIS JUST IN…
Greek Broadcaster ERT Reopens After Court Victory
The Guardian, June 18
“A Greek court has ordered the state broadcaster ERT back on air while it is restructured, allowing squabbling leaders of the governing coalition to move towards a compromise that avoids early elections.
“The ruling came six days after the prime minister, Antonis Samaras, suddenly switched ERT off to save money and please foreign lenders, sparking an outcry from unions, journalists and exposing a rift with his allies.
“The top administrative court appeared to vindicate Samaras’s stance that a leaner, cheaper public broadcaster must be set up but also allowed for ERT’s immediate reopening as his two coalition partners had demanded, offering all three a way out of an impasse that had raised the spectre of a snap election….”
