Greek TV & Social Media Problems
Greek media was portrayed on Wikileaks as being a wealthy-run result of the government officials.
The report, written by a former United States envoy Charles P. Ries, did not inspire much controversy in Greece, as most of the public agreed wholeheartedly. Media in Greece is repeatedly perceived as biased by viewers. Since ths report was released however, the newspapers sold have dropped.
One reason for the lack of trust in the media is from a 2008 event, when riots were shown on a private channel. However, someone had posted the real clip on YouTube and it turned out that the TV network added sound effects to exaggerate the violence of the segment.
With the wide availability of the internet, news channels are not the only source of information. One journalist, Aggeliki Boubouka, says “It is a proven fact that mainstream media are rapidly losing their audiences.” With the emergence of social media, radio and news stations are trying to keep afloat.
Boubouka is affiliated with a progressive publication called ‘Eleftherotupia’, which itself is struggling to stay in business. “Mainstream media [is being] forced to alter their discourse after people using social media took up specific issues,” Boubouka says.
She believes that the media is going to change entirely very soon. It is unclear what exactly this will entail, but is clear that the alteration has already begun.
Major Greek television channels such as SKAI TV and MEGA recently introduced Twitter feeds to interact with their viewers. SKAI radio station is also producing a blog, a trend followed by many journalists.
These journalists frequently run into problems, however, with anonymous bloggers. Users with quick access to the internet due to high-technology phones and other devices, are also able to get news out fast.
A group of bloggers and journalists created an online radio station called ‘Radiobubble’ in order to broadcast alternative news coverage live at the scene.
More than 3,000 people follow Radiobubble during breaking news stories, like the riots in Athens earlier this year.
A current affairs documentary called ‘Debtocracy’ that criticized the government was released online with funds provided by the public. The producers, Katerina Kitidi and Aris Xatzisefanou, say that the video receives up to 500,000 views a day.
Xatzistefanou believes that the fight is about the “domination of mainstream media…and interpretation of reality.” He believes that progress is being made.
Social media on the Internet has become a way of life. Tout is such an app that helps make video sharing fast and easy.
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