On August 2, 2024, the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (ESIEA) addressed a letter to the public broadcaster’s management regarding the lack of transparency in its recruitment practices and the precarious working conditions.
The letter notes that it has received complaints regarding the recruitment procedures of journalists at ERT’s regional stations; following the publication of job advertisements for journalists at ERT’s regional stations, colleagues, including members of the Union, who meet the criteria set out in the advertisement, submitted applications. Unfortunately, in some cases the competitions were subsequently declared inconclusive, without the candidates being informed of the result or the reasons for the rejection of their application. This dismissive attitude on the part of ERT is an insult to professional journalists and, moreover, the fact that the competitions were subsequently reopened raises questions as to why the competitions were not considered successful.
The journalists’ union points out that recruitment procedures, especially by a public body such as ERT, must be transparent and subject to criteria related only to the professional competence of the candidates. The method of personal interviews, often with only one person representing ERT, creates serious problems of transparency. The Union suggests that ERT should recruit on the basis of unlimited contracts with clear criteria and transparency, adding that it is unacceptable for the public broadcaster to employ journalists with such an extent of job precariousness.
According to ERT’s general principles of content provision, its radio and television broadcasts, as well as the content of its websites, are governed, inter alia, by the principles of objectivity and completeness of information, pluralism and the free movement of ideas. These principles contribute to ERT’s declared mission, which is to provide a public broadcasting service in accordance with Article 15 paragraph 2 of the Constitution and to contribute to informing the Greek people, ensuring pluralism in the transmission of information and news, and independence from the State, all public or private authorities and political parties, subject only to the relevant provisions of the Constitution and legislation.
However, the aforementioned facts raise questions around whether the Public Broadcaster can serve the above principles and thus fulfil its constitutionally guaranteed purpose, because these allegedly opaque recruitment procedures and precarious working conditions constitute a potential threat to the full, free and objective production of work by its staff, which in turn constitutes a threat to the freedom of the press.
More specifically, the non-transparent recruitment rules (such as the announcement of competitions as inconclusive despite the fulfilment of the criteria by the candidates, the failure to inform applicants of the results of the competition or the reasons for the rejection of their application, as well as the practice of personal interviews with only one person by ERT) constitute a fertile ground for the more favourable treatment of applicants whom the management of the Public Broadcasting Service, who are appointed directly by the government, considers closer to the government’s positions and views.
Secondly, precarious working conditions and the possibility of easy and quick dismissal make staff vulnerable to influence by management decisions and to tailor their work to avoid being treated unfavourably by the government-selected heads of ERT.
The purpose, mission and general principles of the content provided by ERT require the Public Broadcaster to produce news that respects the principles of objectivity and completeness of information, as well as pluralism and the free flow of ideas, in order to provide a public broadcasting service in accordance with Article 15 para. 2 of the Constitution and to contribute to the independent transmission of information and news, with full independence from the State, public or private authorities and political parties.
However, the reportedly non-transparent recruitment procedures and precarious working conditions at ERT raise the question of whether the Public Broadcaster can fulfil this mandate and its constitutionally enshrined purpose, as the practices described affect the ability of reporters to provide work that respects objectivity, pluralism and independence vis-à-vis the government and public authorities.
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