Media fail to deliver
True to form the local media – particularly the electronic media – have failed to deliver at a very crucial time for the country. Populism, blanket oversimplifications, stereotypes and melodramatic cliches have once again become the rule in the coverage of the recent dramatic events. The thin line separating objective reporting from TV-based prosecuting has been crossed repeatedly. The quality of the self-styled experts who appeared on the various television panels has ranged from the colorful to the unspeakable. The views expressed by some of the «media stars» have often been no more than thinly disguised incitement to violence. Even convicted terrorists were given the chance to address the broader public. Anyone still doubting that there is a lack of serious debate in Greece has only to watch one of those morning TV shows. True, there are some exceptions, but what we should all be concerned with is the rule. In each and every crisis, like the standoff between Greece and Turkey over the Imia islets in 1996, the local media have failed to live up to their very important role.
