OPINION

The weather, as seen on TV

How many inches of snow fell in Kolindros, in northern Pieria? What caused the truck to overturn at the Vale of Tempe? What was Public Order Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis wearing during his solidarity jaunt to a particularly badly hit road junction? These have all been treated as major issues by the television media over the past few days. Indeed, images of the country covered in snow were catchy, while the subject matter offered limitless scope for personal accounts by truckdrivers stuck in snowstorms. What more does a television channel need to fill its programming? Throw in two or three snappy headlines to create the right atmosphere – «The state has gone bust,» «The country has been divided in two,» «The state machine has been destroyed» – and the job is done. And the TV know-it-alls have no problem with surfing between coverage of the sought extradition of former judge Constantina Bourboulia, an impending Cabinet reshuffle, allegations about the alleged abduction of Pakistanis by Greek and British officials and, of course, the weather. But what can you do? It is not easy to switch off the television when stuck indoors because of the panic that the TV coverage has created. Meanwhile the media know-it-alls have taken things a bit too far. Who are they to discredit the «state machine» and what does this phrase even mean? What makes them feel they can scorn the efforts of the police who are trying to impose some order on a chaotic situation? Thank God for state TV, which provided more level-headed coverage of the weather problems.

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