Defamation is a criminal offence, and political figures have launched legal actions against journalists, says the US-based NGO Freedom House. Journalists risk physical assault, particularly while covering protests.
Press freedom in Greece suffered serious setbacks in 2021 and 2022, according to the media rights group Reporters Without Borders, with journalists regularly prevented from covering issues from migration to Covid-19.
Veteran crime reporter Giorgos Karaivaz was assassinated in April 2021. Police said the killing bore the hallmarks of organised crime. In May 2023, two men were arrested. The case is continuing.
Established private networks operate alongside the public broadcaster. News, entertainment, comedy and game shows dominate peak-time viewing.
The media have had to weather Greece’s economic crisis. Facing declining circulation figures and advertising revenues, some outlets have cut back or closed altogether.
Public TV is operated by ERT and public radio by ERA.
Five private TV networks, all of them existing broadcasters, were awarded national TV licences in 2018. Officials said it drew the line under a long-running free-for-all in the sector.
There were 8.1 million internet users by July 2022 (Internetworldstats.com). Facebook is the leading social media platform. Television is Greece’s medium of choice.
Press
- Ta Nea – daily, English-language pages
- Ethnos – daily, English-language pages
- To Vima – daily, English-language pages
- Kathimerini – daily, English-language pages
- Naftemporiki – financial daily, English-language pages
Television
- ERT – public, operates three national networks
- Epsilon TV – national, private
- ANT1 – national, private
- Alpha TV – national, private station
- Star TV – national, private
- SKAI TV – national, private
Radio
- ERA – public
- Easy 972 – commercial
- Athena 984 – municipal Athens station, one of the first non-state radios
- SKAI 100.3 – commercial network
- Sfera 102.2 – commercial network
News agency/online
- Athens-Macedonian News Agency – national agency, English-language pages
- NewsIt – news portal
- Nooz.gr – news portal
Source : BBC