Greek Government Spokesman Kedikoglu+CoE Assembly Media+Director Fasino to EuroFora on New PSB RTV

*Strasbourg/June 16 (+partly Updated in the Middle of June 17) 2013/-  Speaking to "EuroFora" on CoE Secretary General, Jagland's recent call about the Public Service Broadcasting controversy in Greece, supporting to advance towards a "Reform" for a New RTV "without DisContinuation", "even if it's only a Temporary one", the competent Greek Government's Spokesman, Minister Simos Kedikoglou, and CoE Parliamentary Assembly's Director for Culture/Science/Education and Media, Roberto Fasino, reacted to Topical Questions on the latest topical developments about the currently Burning Issue of Old "ERT" and efforts to create a New "NERIT", after a much needed, Structural Reform :

I.e. mainly the fact that the Greek Government immediately accepted to start RTV emmissions at first by a slim team composed by Journalists due to be selected by a Trans-Parties Committee according to Transparent criteria on their Experience, Education and Capacities, until a fully-fledged New PSB "NERIT" is developed the soonest possible, but, this offer was bluntly Rejected by representatives of the controversial, Old PSB "ERT"s staff, and even by the Order of Journalists (ESHEA/EPHEA), which went as far as to add, (3 times !!!), a series of Threats against .. All Journalists, of All Medias (not only Radio-TV, but also Written Press/Newspapers, even Internet/On-Line, etc), not allowing them neither to contribute into that Transitional Re-Opening of at least a provisional PSB, not even to .. Publish any News whatever, to any Medias, (except on Old "ERT's issue, and that, exclusively from one side alone : the controversial Old "ERT"s staff. Not by the Greek Government, nor by any MP or any other, Civil Society sources at all, obviously raising issues of Press Freedom vis a vis Thousands of Journalists concerned, and Millions of Citizens threatened to be deprived from any News and Information at all, until such an unprecedented measure practically prohibiting Journalists from doing their Duty, might, eventually, be suspended and/or lifted, later-on...

    To put it in a nutshell, the competent Minister Kedicoglou confirmed in a Phone Interview to "EuroFora" various, even more Harsh Threats against Journalists' Freedom to work either for that, immediate but transitory, opening of a prelude towards the New PSB "NERIT", or even for any other Media duiring a much Wider "Black Out" thus imposed by ESHEA's "Order" (comp. Supra and Infra), while CoE Assembly's competent Committee Director, Fasino, later-on, surprized, characterized that issue as "Tricky", and, after reminding ECHR's principles for the Freedom of all Journalists to Publish News without undue Restrictions or any Threats by anyone (including Corprorative "Orders" as ESHEA, etc), he advised anyone among the Press Workers which may be affected by ESHEA's orders against Working and/or against Publishing News (comp. Supra), to Challenge this Legally at the Courts, asking Public Authorities' protection of their Freedom to work, until it comes in front of the ECHR in Strasbourg (See Infra).

 Meanwhile, however, despite the fact that the Courts declared those ESHEA's coercitive measures as illegal, nevertheless, the Corporatist "Order" persisted to exert heavy Pressure on all those Journalist who might dare to simply do their work by asking them to "submit" to its decisions, threatening them with various sanctions, and even starting these days to impose various Punitive Measures and f.ex. "Strike off" its official Lists many Journalists who had worked in the past despite ESHEA's opposite orders, in an obvious attempt to Terrorize any Journalist who might think to DesObey it now...

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    Notoriously, the Old PSB "ERT" issue resulted after the 1st big attempt by the New (2012) Greek Government led by Antonis Samaras, (President of the "New Democracy"  ChristianDemocrat/EPP Party, currently the Biggest of the Country, and former Foreign MInister as well as MEP at EU Parliament in Strasbourg/Brussels), in Coalition with another 2 Small Parties of Center-Left ("DHMAR" and the remnants of "PASOK"), to start solving the well known Problem of an Excessive (compared to Greece's smalled Productive Sector) Number of Cushy-job holders and/or Political Lackeys, sometimes even Corrupted etc., Civil Servants which had been Scandalously appointed to the Public Sector by former Clientelist and/or Nepotist Governments of the Past, mainly PASOK, etc., during the latest 30 Years (1981-2011+), resulting to a Growing Debt which "exploded" after the recent Global Economic and Financial Crisis, since the end of 2009 (comp. "EuroFora"s NewsReports f.ex. from Brussels' EU Summit of December 2009, and afterwards). The issue has become particularly "Hot" since that Heavy Debt provoked grave consequences after the Global Crisis to the detriment of Poor People, and against the Productive Sector of the Economy (necessary for a Future Growth), by threatening, more and more, to aggravate an already Hard Pressure, which had resulted on some 1.800.000 Unemployed in the Private sector, in addition to previous (during 2009-2011 PASOK's former Government) Cuts even at the basic Health sector, and a persisting Recession, (despite a recently Upward trend towards Better Financial parameters), etc, and many Popular Sufferings, which Contrast with the 20 or 30 Years, comparatively "comfortable" and often Undeserved Public Sector Jobs by others, many Counter-Productive, even sometimes Abusive, Corrupted or oherwise Criminal, and largely Unpopular, surnumerary Civil Servants.

    In this regard, the EU/CEB/IMF "Troika" has asked from Greece to urgently make adequate Structural Reforms, including by the departure of at least 50.000 surnumerary Public Sector's employees, among many Hundreds of Thousands more, and this has been repeatedly agreed and promised by successive Governments, until now without notable Results. So that the current point is a almost last-minute attempt to Start implementing Greece's commitments in this regard, at least vis a vis less than 2.000 staff only, beginning by the Old PSB "ERT", notorious for its Cushy Job Holders and/or Political Lackeys, often accused also for useless and/or excessive Waste of Money, (more than 300 Millions € each Year), while both various Politicians (not only of the current Governing parties, but also from the Opposition), as well as many People were fed-up and angry, often complaining for Biaised, Discriminatory and/or Bad Quality News Reporting, judged unacceptable for a real "Public Service" Broadcasting, which should, on the contrary, serve exclusively the General Interest by a Quality and Pluralist News Reporting. In consequence, Strong Changes vis a vis Old  PSB "ERT", are widely Popular, among a Majority of Critical Citizens (as also numerous reactions published now at the Web remind), but also Journalists (some having faced f.ex. Contempt/Discrimination and/or even Political Harassment against their Human Dignity and/or Press Freedom by certain such Cushy Job Holders/Political Lackeys, etc), including various Politicians from a broad spectrum of Parties. So that CoE's Secretary General, Thornbjorn Jagland's earlier Statement clearly "acknowledge(d) the Need to Remedy the Shortcomings of (old) ERT", as he pointed out, calling to better follow, in Future, "CoE's Standards for Public Service Media",  in order to "Become a True Public Broadcaster, corresponding" to them. ---------------------------------------------

    But, meanwhile, the written anouncements published by Old "ERT"s staff and endorsed by that Order of Journalists (ESHEA/EPHEA), not only Refused the Offer for an immediate Opening of a Transitory service, while preparing a fully Fledged New PSB "NERIT" (comp. Supra), but even appeared to practically Threaten any Journalist, "not only of ERT, but even Out of ERT", who might accept to Work for it, (after a Transparent and Pluralist procedure of Selection : Comp. Supra), f.ex. by "strongly declaring" from the outset, "that Not any Journalist, ....Member of ESHEA, will ever accept to offer his services", not even "to Contracts of 2 or 3 Monhs", (i.e. just to help the Transition towards a New PSB "NERIT", "without DisContinuation", as CoE's SG. Jagland has asked : Comp. Supra) ! Such threats are obviously dangerous for Journalists' Press Freedoms, because ESHEA/EPHEA's Corporative "Order" and some other Bureaucrats notoriously try to Impose to all Journalists a controversial Obligation to always have a "Card" Monopolized by ESHEA/EPHEA, exposing them to a constant Risk to see their Press Freedom as Journalists to be trumpled underfoot at one or another pretext...  

+ Moreover, at the seme time, ESHEA/EPHEA and a group of similar Corporatist "Orders" governing the Media landscape, issued an additional collective Prohibition for any Journalist who wants to be their Member and/or to be assimilated to their Members from the point of view of Freedom of Press, to Publish any other News, except for the issue of Old PSB "ERT", and, even on that, all Journalists were exceptionaly ordered to exclude any other Source (f.ex. from the Greek Government, any MPs or other Politicians, NGOs, Experts, Civil Society, Citizens, etc), except from the controversial Old "ERT"'s staff, (to the point that several MPs, and/or political parties, particularly from the Governing coalition, as well as other interested People, even simple Citizens, started to Denounce various Incidents of blatant Discriminations, Brutal Censorship, etc, obviously incompatible with Democratic Pluralism and Freedom of Speech)...

- >>>  Any Journalists who might desobey to such ESHEA/EPHEA a.o. Orders, (especially the 1st one : to Refuse to Work for the immediate Opening of a Transitory, elementary PSB, as a bridge towards the New PSB "NERIT" : Comp. Supra), ..."were Threatened even to be ... Lynched !", denounced the Greek Government Spokesman, Simos Kedikoglou, speaking this Sunday evening to "EuroFora".....

Something which, added also to various other Shortcomingss among such Medieval-like Corporatism, has recently led various Emerging, New Socio-Political Movements, including, f.ex. that of former Comedian (notoriously excluded from Public RTV in the Past just for havoing dared Criticise a former Socialist Party leader as Corrupt, before he was judged and condemned, later on), Bepe Grillo, whose "5 Stars' Movement" has just succeeded to be Voted as No 1 Party of the Country in the latest Italian Parliamentary Election, after adopting in his Official Program .. .to Close Down the Italian Order of Journalists (as even famous Liberal former MEP Panella had already asked in the Past) !

All this comes in addition to a notoriously Spreading Popular Insatisfaction, almost Revolt, against most Traditional Medias, in a growing number of European and other Countries accross the Modern World, where Citizens can, for the 1s time in History, also judge by various Direct Modern Communication Technology tools, what is the Truth about topical News, so that many People's Distrust vis a vis Traditional Media, aspires for New, Alternative Information, from the USA up to France, as well as Italy, Germany the UK, Hungary, Greece, etc.. It's in this context, f.ex., that the Italian People voted as 1st political Party in the last Elections that of Grillo's "5 Stars Movement" which had reportedly excluded any Traditional Journalist, with a Bureaucratic "Card" from the infamous Corporatist "Order" (comp. Supra), from ever covering any pre-electoral or post-electorall Meeting of his party, prefering motivated Citizens' a.o. Alternative, more trustworthy tools...

- That's one of the reasons for which, (in addition to the above mentioned Facts concerning more particularly Greece's Media, mainly of the Public Sector as the Old "ERT" : Comp. Supra), the competent Minister, and Government Spokesman Simos Kedikoglou clearly agreed with "EuroFora" that, in Future, i.e. at the New Public Service Broadcasting "NERIT", every Candidate to a Job, should, normally, explain, if he comes from that controversial Old "ERT", first of all, on the basis of Which Criteria, what Procedure, which Competition among all competent Journalists availabla at that time, what kind of Transparency in the Anouncement of the offer of a Job in the Public Sector, and with what level of Educational background, special Knowledge and/or Experience, etc. had he or she been chosen among many other Journalists and more potential Candidates, by whom, and why, in order to Occupy, often for many Years, even Decades, such a Public Sector Office in a Public Service Media responsible for informing all Society according to basic Democratic and pluralistic Principles, wih what Pay, and what activities he/she really did provide during all these Years/Decades; before being able to be eventually considered for a Job in the New PSB "NERIT"...

Otherwise, the risk is obvious Today for many  among the Notorious former Cushy Job Holders and/or Political Lackeys, who had been Scandalously appointed in the Past by fomer Clientelist/Nepotist Governments, mainly of PASOK etc. in the Old "ERT", to suddenly find, tomorrown,  a way similar to illegal .... "Dirty Money Laundering", in order to Hide all "Dark-spots" of their Past, and even Exploit that by claiming to have acquired some "Experience", precisely from the Unlawful Results of such Scandalously illegal manouvers of an often Corrupted Past... Such Setbacks would obviously have too seriously Negative consequences, undermining from the start all Reform efforts. Considering, among many other important factors, also the Facts that, as various former or current Journalists, other witnesses, etc. already have or could denounce, in several real cases, as those for which the Greek Attorney competent to fight Corruption, Helen Raikou, has reportedly just started to Investigate, at the invitation also of Economy Minister John Stouraras, in the case of Old "ERT", (hopefully not only in some too Narrowly restricted Time limits, considering the obvious importance of all the last 30 Years 1981-2011).  

Among many and various other shady cases, f.ex., while one among many mere .. Assistants to one or another former PASOK MEP, without any serious Experience in Journalism, nor any noteworthy but rather Low University background, etc., was suddenly chosen, without even knowing exactly when, by whom and why, to occupy some Monopolistic, "Exclusive" cushy-jobs, too " comfortably" Paid for Decades, with Expensive Hotels, Cars, Offices, Air-Travels, etc., at some exceptionaly sensitive matters, of Crucial Importance for entire Countries, etc.,  (normally made only for well Experienced, Qualified, and sincerely Motivated People able and willing to practive fearless and efficient Investigative Journalism in order to find often an oftent Hidden Truth and dare publish it even against one or another Dominant opinion, with a Pluralist point of view), on the contrary, at the same time, some other available Journalists, with a much Longer and full Experience of Press Work, much Higher University Education/Research levels, without having ever been a Servile tool easily bought by any Politician of any color, but keeping a sincerely Independent Journalists' judgement, working hard even without time to sleep overnight, and publishing Thousands of Original News at mainstream Media, sincerely motivated by the Task to find and publish the most Interesting, original News for crucial Socio-Political issues, often after a carefully and actively Investigative Journalism advancing far beyond the "obvious", even by taking  various personal Risks, and without any demand for so Expensive Payrolls as those wastefuly distributed to some Petty Carrierists, were, on the contrary, in certain more or less serious cases, Discriminated and/or Excluded, Slandered and/or Harasssed, even Physically Aggressed in various Serious "Incidents" curiously occuring at certain exceptionally important Dates for crucial Political Decisions in the areas that they were covering, sometimes even brutaly Oppressed and/or Hindered to Work, their Human Dignity trumped underfoot, even their Family harassed, etc., requiring a very Strong Moral and Intellectual Resistance, as well as their active but desinterested contribution to some positive Political developments, in order to be anew more or less Free to simply have the honour to continue Working as Journalists without more grave, obvious hindrances recently...

All this obviously asks for a really New Start in a  brand New, PSB "NERIT", in full Transparency and with complete Knowledge of all important Facts and what really happened until now around at least the more Crucial Junctures  in the entire History and present Landscape of a given Media Sector, with a Team of sincerely Motivated, Experienced, well Educated, and Honest, Hard Working and Efficient Journalists, Stimulated by the Public Service Mission of such an important Broadcasting Media, to find and publish the Best possible News on Topical issues of Importance for the Lives of the People, Society's main values, and the Country's History and Future, but less by the Money that they might put at their pockets, as some others did in a notoriously "Dark" Past, here and elsewhere...

Naturally, this doesn't mean that ALL Old "ERT"s staff would be worthless, since, on the contrary, there are several Honest and Efficient Journalists and/or RTV Technicians among them. But they will have simply to be clearly Distinguished from those who are remnants of an Anti-Democratic and too Wasty Past.

 A key stake in the Political a.o. Negotiations between main Actors reportedly due to hammer out an efficient, transparent and pluralistic Procedure for the Transition towards a New Era at least on Public Service Media in so thorny cases as that of Greece, starting from crucial meetings and possibly decisions Tomorrow, Monday afternoon, etc.

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+ Meanwhile, according to well informed sources, after a highly Symbolic phone call by German Chancellor Angie Merkel, who reportedly stressed her Support to efficien Reforms as it had been agreed earlier, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is due to have soon also an expression of Solidarity (in his efforts to at last restructure the ailing Public Broadcasting sector, in a way able to overcome the notorious obstacles of the Past, by the experienced Head of the European Popular Party, Wilfried Martens, from Brussels.

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+ Fresh CoE UPDATE :
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    + Later-on, the competent Director of CoE Assembly's Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media, Roberto Fasino, speaking later-on to "EuroFora" on ESHEA's moves against Journalists' work not only for the proposed transition to New PSB, but even in order to publish, at any Media whatever, any News (except on ERT, and only from one side, excluding all others), was adamant :

  - If another, non-State body whatever, be it a professional "Order" (f.ex.of Journalists) or other, is really threatening and hindering Journalists from Publishing any News of topical and serious importance to the Society, then, this seems obviously Opposite to all what we, as CoE's Parliamentary Assemby's Committee on Media, and the European Court of Human Rights have been doing in order, on the contrary, to protect all Journalists' Freedom to Publish, (and even Citizens), to freely express themselves on issues of current importance to the whole Society, because this is not only a Human Rights Issue for Journalists themselves, but also a Democratic Principle for the Information of all the People", he stressed, as a matter of General Principle.   

    - The sole Condition under which exists this Right to the Freedom of Publishing News, is that it  has, naturally, to be done, as always, in full respect of certain elementary Principles , such as against Racism, Violence, Slandering persons, etc, he reminded.

    => Therefore, if such (abnormal) obstacles come from an Order of Journalists (f.ex. ESHEA/EPHEA etc.), as you said in the case of Greece, then, this seems to  be a very "Tricky" issue, and whoever, among Journalists, faces such threats and/or orders not to publish anywhere, any News (except on ERT and only from one side of the current conflict) should Challenge this Legally, starting by the National Courts, and, if needed, arriving ultiimately to the ECHR" in Strasbourg, the experienced  CoE Assembly Culture/Science/Education and Media Committee Director advised in conclusion.

    + He also reminded in this regard a previous Official Statement by the President of CoE Parliamentary Assembly's sub-Committee on Media, Italian MEP Deborah Bergamini, who had already expressed the "Hope that Everything will be done to ensure that the Greek Parliament can Speedily adopt the necessary Measures to preserve Media pluralism and freedom and to provide an effective guarantee of Greek Citizens’ right to Information".

    Previously, Bergamini (a former Journalist and Press Attachée herself) had observed the fact that "the Financial situation of the public broadcasting service in Greece is extremely serious", and said that she had "No reason to believe that, in taking such an unusual decision, the Greek government intended to infringe the right to freedom of information, or that it exceeded its statutory powers". But she had also expressed her "extreme surprise"  for "the closure ... of ..3 public radio and TV services” "instantaneously", and she felt  mainly "Concerned about the possible harmful consequences, in the shorter and the longer term, of the simultaneous withdrawal of All Public media", whatever, (i.e. practically asking, as Jagland, for at least an elementary PSB to be opened, as the Greek Government accepted, shortly afterwards : Comp. Supra, but facing a blunt Refusal from the other side (that of Old ERT's controversial staff, comp. Supra).

(.../...)

 

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(NDLR : "DraftNews", as already sent earlier to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors. A more accurate, complete Final Version might be published asap).

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