Corruption at its best! No wonder people have turned their backs on the Greek mainstream media. It stinks corruption!!! According to another cable from Wikileaks that was featured on the dexiextrem blog today one of the main journalists on MEGA Channel – a female – spoke with the US embassy in Athens and told them about one instance where any of MEGA channle's five owners were actually criticized. The same cable also reveals that the US is financing Greek media schools and students, hoping that the next generation of journalists may be freer of the prejudices that have characterized the current and previous generations against the US. And I saved the best for last… the cable also talks about Greek journalists that have taken kickbacks from the “Athens2004” organisation in return for laudatory articles in their favor:
VZCZCXRO7394
RR RUEHAST
DE RUEHTH # 1805/01 1940650
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 130650Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC / SECSTATE WASHDC 6103
INFO RUEHIK / AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI 0470
RUEHZL / EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ATHENS 001805
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR / SE JPARENTE; EUR / PPD CTEAL
EO 12958: N / A
TAGS: KPAO KMDR PREL OIIP OPRC GR
SUBJECT: HOW TO READ THE GREEK PRESS: A GUIDE FOR THE UNINITIATED
ATHENS 00001805 001.3 OF 003
ENTIRE TEXT IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE HANDLE
ACCORDINGLY
One long-time Mega Channel reporter says she only
recalls one instance where any of Mega's five
owners was criticized on that station. It's also acceptable for
journalists to take gifts or even money from those on whom they
report. The 2004 Olympics organizing committee was notorious for
paying journalists for favorable stories ...
Government contacts and journalists themselves have commented to us
that the visit (of State Condoleezza Rice on 25.04.2006) went far better than the media let on ...
We have succeeded in placing interviews, locally produced op-eds, and IIP
products on key foreign policy concerns, and we are attempting to
counter factual errors and omissions with telephone calls, letters
to the editor, and regular meetings with journalists, editors, and
publishers. We are also putting more resources into our dealings
with media schools and students, hoping that the next generation of
journalists may be freer of the prejudices that have characterized
the current and previous generations.
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