The mass media sector has always been a testing ground for ideas as well as a den for crooks. Today’s situation in the media is a result of the state’s inability to legislate and impose a set of rules similar to those that apply in other European countries.
Since the political changeover of 1974 the state has made error after error. We have reached the point where the position of the pensioners is considered a major journalist union demand. One side demanded that the pensioners were deleted from the association, while others wanted to remain active members. Then this tragicomic thing happened: the first PASOK government deleted the pensioners. As soon as elections took place in the journalist union it became clear that there was a shift to the Right, as most of those deleted were leftists. Naturally the law changed.
The examples of government gaffes are endless. All we need to do is consider that “historic” response of PASOK’s government representative when he asked by a foreign journalist if the government will react if a satellite transmits television programs in Grece: “we will shoot it down with a rocket!” replied the Deputy Minister of the Press.
Similar events lead to the establishment of free radio, with the government saying “no” and nobody listening.
Now the reforms regarding the media which the government voted are being discussed. The parties are merely doing their business. When the time comes though, these measures can be abolished just as easily as they were enacted.
What remains in the end is the oligopoly of stupidity; it is formed by the usual media dandies who are begging for “pocket money”
Stavros P. Psycharis
Originally published in the Sunday print edition
