Greece faces criticism over press freedom
THE ANNUAL report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expressed concerns yesterday over the “problematic” situation for reporters in Greece as the media watchdog published its World Press Freedom Index, in which the European Union nation plummeted five places.
In the report, which ranks 180 countries in the world from “good” to “very bad” according to their level of media freedom, Greece has been placed at 70, down from 65 in 2020. Its rating considered as “problematic.”
The significant decline stems from growing concerns over the case of Giorgos Karaivaz, a Greek crime reporter working for the private television station Star TV, who was shot outside his home while returning from work in southern Athens two weeks ago. Although it is unknown whether his death was related to his work, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, called the murder a “despicable, cowardly act” in a tweet, adding, “Europe stands for freedom. And freedom of the press may be the most sacred of all.”
Last year, there were several reports of police harassment of journalists while covering protests in isolation. In February, France-based RSF called for a probe after seven journalists were exposed to tear gas and beaten with truncheons and shields during a demonstration. RSF called that incident an “unprovoked attack by the police.”
Journalists interacting with government officials have also reported serious concerns, with Greek journalist Dimitra Kroustalli saying in January she had been forced to quit from To Vima newspaper after “strangling pressure” from the Greek prime minister’s cabinet amid her criticism toward systems used to track and monitor COVID-19 cases.
Stavros Malichoudis, a freelance journalist based in the Greek capital of Athens, said the recent murder of a media worker has once again brought attention to press freedom in Greece.
“Until Karaivaz’s murder, Greece wasn’t considered as a country where journalists might be killed for doing their job. Press freedom, though, definitely has been an issue,” Malichudis told news outlet Al-Jazeera. “The coverage of public TV has always been in favor of the government, instead of the public it ought to serve. Journalists working for major media know there are specific topics they can’t even pitch a story about and large corporations seldom get covered in the press where only their adverts appear.” “Another issue is the restriction of coverage on refugees by the Greek government, which has already been criticized by media watchdogs,” Malichudis added.