On December 21, 2023, the newspaper Avgi published an article alleging that an ERT (the Greek public broadcaster) newscast featured a Greek medical student from a Bulgarian university giving an interview in favour of the establishment of private higher education institutions (HEIs) in Greece, but failing to mention that the student in question is a member of the political youth group affiliated to the New Democracy Party.
Specifically, the student in question, Mr. Vassilis Theocharidis, told ERT: “If this opportunity existed [to study at a private university in Greece] when I was leaving, I would probably choose it, obviously I would choose it, because I would stay close to my family, I would study in my mother tongue. In Bulgaria at the moment there are two and recently a third private university created for medical school, but also for other specialties. All these degrees are recognised in Greece and in every European country, whether they are taught in English or in Bulgarian.”
ERT, however, failed to reveal that Mr. Vassilis Theocharides, is allegedly a member of the ONNED, the political youth group affiliated to the New Democracy party. Furthermore, ERT failed to reveal the fact that Mr. Nikos Papaioannou (former rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki who also supported the establishment of private universities in Greece in the report on public television) was a candidate on the ND state election ticket in the 2023 national elections.
These omissions are not in line with the aims, mission and general principles of the content provided by Public Service Broadcasting.
According to ERT’s general principles of content provision, its radio and television broadcasts and the content of its internet websites are governed, inter alia, by the principles of objectivity and completeness of information, pluralism and the free movement of ideas. The above principles contribute to ERT’s declared mission, which is to provide a public broadcasting service in accordance with Article 15 par. 2 of the Constitution and to contribute “to informing the Greek people”, as well as “to ensure pluralism, independent transmission of information and news”, so that it “is independent of the State, all public or private authorities and political parties” and “prepares” and “broadcasts its broadcasting and web content, subject only to the relevant provisions of the Constitution and the legislation”.
In this case, the violation of the general principles of the content provided, the purpose and mission of ERT, is also evident from the fact that the report presented five statements by the same number of interviewees, all of whom were in favour of the establishment of private universities (i.e. in favour of the government’s position, despite ERT’s declared independence vis-à-vis the state and public authorities), without at the same time presenting different opinions, even though these are held by a significant part of Greek society and therefore should be included in the reportage of public broadcasting, in order to inform the public on the basis of the principles of objectivity, completeness, pluralism and free circulation of ideas.
In this case, the above principles would require the inclusion of all views on the issue of the establishment of private universities, as well as the explicit mention of any political involvement by persons invited to comment on an important public issue in which the public has a legitimate interest in objective information, regardless of government policy.
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(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, in this case, ERT violated the above principles of its operation, on the one hand by failing to disclose the political affiliations of the participants in its television reportage,and on the other hand, by only presenting views supporting the government’s position on the issue of the establishment of private universities.
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