The study finds that ‘challenges to the independence of the media and the safety of journalists are systemic’
The freedom of the Greek press has been deteriorating since the conservative New Democracy party came to power in 2019, according to a new media watchdogs’ report published Monday.
According to the Media Freedom Rapid Response and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), “the current situation has been shaped by more than a decade of severe financial and political crisis.”
However, the report added that “at the same time, there has been a deterioration of press freedom since Nea Dimokratia’s electoral victory in 2019.”
The report’s authors said the ruling party is “obsessed with controlling the message” and minimizing critical and dissenting voices.
#Greece: Following their December 2021 fact-finding joint mission, @MediaFreedomEU and RSF submit their recommendations to the Greek authorities & to the EU community, in order to tackle the many systemic challenges that the Greek independent media have been facing for years. ⤵️
— RSF (@RSF_inter) March 28, 2022
The southern European country fell five spots in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index compiled by media watchdog RSF and now ranks 70th out of 180 countries, behind Poland and Mongolia.
Carried out last December, the study found that “challenges to the independence of the media and the safety of journalists are systemic in the country.”
While the problems are not unique to Greece, “their intensity is highly problematic and sets it apart from most other EU Member States,” the media watchdogs said in their report entitled “Controlling the Message: Challenges for independent reporting in Greece.”
