European Broadcasting Union (EBU) asked Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to reverse the decision to shut down public broadcaster ERT. In a letter to PM Samaras, the President of the EBU, Jean Paul Philippot and the EBU Director General, Ingrid Deltenre urged Mr Samaras “to use all his powers to immediately reverse this decision”.
The existence of public service media and their independence from government lie at the heart of democratic societies, and therefore any far-reaching changes to the public media system should only be decided after an open and inclusive democratic debate in Parliament – and not through a simple agreement between two government ministers.
In the letter, the EBU stresses the importance of public service media as an essential pillar of democratic and pluralistic societies across Europe.
The EBU President and DG go on to highlight that “While we recognize the need to make budgetary savings, national broadcasters are more important than ever at times of national difficulty. This is not to say that ERT need be managed less efficiently than a private company. Naturally, all public funds must be spent with the greatest of care.”
The EBU is on standby to offer its knowledge of Europe’s public service media to provide the advice, assistance and expertise necessary for ERT to be preserved as a true public broadcaster in the European would.
Full letter in EBU’s website here.
ERT was NEVER independant from any government. All appointments were, like in all public companies in Greece, political ones by the respective governments. ND and PASOK have filled it with their cronies. A total bottom was reached last autumn when two journalists of ERT were suspended for criticizing public order minister Dendias.
So, the EBU and other international organisations should get their facts straight before disqualifying themselves utterly by making these remarks that are totally outside the Greek reality.
“ERT was NEVER independant from any government.” exactly that’ the point and criticism on the side of Greeks. see my previous answer.