A lot has truly occurred over the past six years.
Myths have been debunked, new ones have emerged only to collapse in turn, the world has suffered cracks and Greece – as the weakest link – has literally been devastated.
Powers and forces have also retreated.
Leading personalities where burned in the crisis, glorified parties shrunk and ultimately the people suffered the most.
However, in the era of major financial crisis that turned in a social and national one and even before it, there were democratic divs and institutions that despite being slandered, ridiculed or attacked that issued warnings in time, revealed and described the conditions and consequences of the suffering to come.
The Press for example, particularly the newspapers, the ones critically and disapprovingly dubbed “systemic” where the ones that accurately described what is to come and the ones that clashed with governors, parties, syndicates and even their readers, in an effort to provide comprehensive information and demonstrate that the crisis is not simple to manage, while underlining that without effort and sacrifices we will never overcome the crisis.
It was primarily the newspapers that clashed with the dominant spirit of populism that prevailed that swept everything away in its path.
Especially before the double elections of 2012, as well as in more recent times, it was the newspaper that presented the dangers, the slew of uncertainties and directly revealed how a significant section of political forces in Greece was unable to understand the circumstances.
The description of the consequences of adopting unorthodox perceptions from certain parties was treated by a slew of propagandists as a so-called attempt to cultivate fear and was referred as the ultimate conspiracy of the “corrupt media” with financial interests, which by the way had changed sides and aligned themselves with the proponents of the drachma.
In the past months of the new government being in power and even before the January elections, it was newspapers that incessantly warned the Prime Minister, government, ministers, officials and the people of the dramatic consequences of the unplanned, long and largely foolish negotiation.
Despite being taunted by many willing and foolish propagandist, it was newspaper journalists who chose to do their job right and say things how it was and not how they imagined party actions.
Lately it was the newspapers that did not hide, but rather openly expressed their concern over the consequences of the referendum and the unfavorable development of the negotiations with the creditors, even clashing with their audience.
Recently it was the newspapers – which were mocked by the likes of Mr. Filis and others who have lately changed opinions – on the problems surrounding the former Minister of Finances; it was newspaper journalists who revealed Mr. Varoufakis’ plan B and Mr. Lafazanis’ “raid” on the Bank of Greece; it was newspapers that revealed the plans being devised in secret by insane and obsessed ideologues, who as it turns out, have not understood that the world has changed and that economically Putin’s Russia is an extremely neoliberal country that bears no resemblance to the former Soviet Union, that China has prevailed financial because it looks out for interests above all and that Tehran, which has been working on the greatest deal of the past 40 years with the West, would not sacrifice a single dollar for Athens.
So it was the newspapers that revealed the truth and the real national interest, under adverse economic, social and political conditions.
Those closely following the news in Greece will realize that the newspapers fully revealed the Greek problem.
They took the lead and continue to lead in informing the Greek people. Television and radio draw their information from the newspapers – even social media – and a simple perusal in their news bulletins is enough to demonstrate this.
It would not be an exaggeration to speak of a triumph of the newspapers in recent years, especially in this dark and difficult summer!
This will carry on simply because they are written and defined by free and independent professionals, from defenders of the freedom of the press and opinion.
Antonis Karakousis
