Resignations at public broadcaster ERT and ANA-MPA news agency in Greece worrying, says OSCE Media Freedom Representative

LONDON, 11 July 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his concern today regarding resignations at the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) and the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) in Greece.

On 9 July, the heads of the public broadcaster ERT and of the news agency ANA-MPA, Yannis Drosos and Michalis Psilos, respectively, submitted their resignations to the Deputy Prime Minister, Stelios Petsas. The resignations come amid the new ruling majority's pledge to reform public television in the country, following the recent parliamentary elections.

According to a new presidential decree, published on 9 July 2019, ERT and ANA-MPA will be placed under the supervision of the Prime Minister.“Public service broadcasting plays an indispensable role in providing public interest programming and enhancing the professionalism of the media. It must contribute to diversity and pluralism and be independent from political interference," stated Désir. 

“Any cuts in public funding, as well as changes in the appointment and reporting mechanisms of the top managers and board members of the public service broadcaster and news agency need to be carefully assessed, in order to avoid impacting the work of the media. This is especially important in light of the challenging transformations ERT went through following the shutdown of the public broadcaster in 2013."

According to reports, the chairpersons will remain in their respective positions until replacements can be found and appointed. “It is crucial that public broadcasters remain independent, so as to continue providing unbiased and objective news to the citizens, and that effective mechanisms are put in place to ensure the proper independence and viability of the public broadcaster,” concluded Désir.