Another one who proves that he has absolutely no idea how the world of internet works and what income one could expect. The Greek Labor Minister suggested that journalists who will lose their jobs because their employers did not manage to secure a TV license should start their own websites in order to avoid unemployment and income loss.
An estimated 1,600-1,800 people, journalists and technicians are expected to lose their jobs in the next 90 days, the deadline the government gave to TV channels Mega, Star, Alpha and Epsilon to stop broadcasting via the national system Digea. Alternatively, the TV stations owners could continue broadcasting via web or cable TV.
At the same time, one of the government conditions for the winners of the four TV licenses was that they are obliged to employ at least 400 people for each licensed channel.
For some unknown reason and despite the overhaul of the media landscape. the government is convinced that no current TV employee will lose his job and that even those who are currently unemployed (more than 2,500 people) will find jobs.
The creative Labor Minister and apparently the other ministers involved plan to establish (one more) fund for old and new unemployed media staff and also for young unemployed without previous experience in the media. The new fund will be funded from the Globalization Fund that will give the unemployment allowance and may also finance micro-enterprises in the media industry, for example for the establishment of a news portal. The form of enterprise can by synergy or a sole owner.
The minister did not elaborate how a TV reporter will turn into a content writer or how a cameraman will turn into a web designer or the famous IT man for websites.
I am sure the minister had no idea, that these are different job descriptions and roles.
Given some previous laws on Greek internet passed in late spring by the state minister responsible for the media, all these websites will have to be electronically registered in a state registry in order to be able to receive state advertisement which could be several thousand euro per year. By the way, the deadline for the registry is in upcoming October. I suppose, the government was not aware of its own media plans for websites.
I have to stress here that I am vertically and horizontally and categorically against “media control by the state” even in the form of advertisement.
And I have to underline for one more time that none of the government ministers has the slightest idea how the world of internet works.
PS And with these plans the small country Greece with 40% or less of inhabitants PC literate will turn into a global news player in the Greek language ….
In common with all Greek politicians and 99.9% of Greek university professors, the guy does not have a clue about how the world works. It is one of several reasons why Greece is unlikely ever to regain first world status.