Thread by @G_Katsambekis

Here’s a story that would've been funny if it wasn’t so worrying. @RSF_inter publish their latest index on press freedom in which #Greece has dramatically dropped from position 70 to 108. To those closely following political developments in the country, this was no surprise. 1/

#Greece, after conservative New Democracy took power in 2019, has been in a downward spiral of #democratic_backsliding that affects every level of the polity: overpowering the executive, undermining the independence of institutions, assaults on minority rights & press freedom. 2/

Regarding the media sphere in particular, the conservative government has consistently tried to silence critical voices, while rewarding media outlets willing to turn a blind eye to their (mis)conduct & amplify their propaganda. 3/

This has radically restricted pluralism in the public sphere, suppressed public contestation & deteriorated the quality of public debate, downgrading most of private & state-owned media from public watchdogs & checks-&-balances mechanisms, to mere amplifiers of govt messaging. 4/

So, right after the @RSF_inter index was published, the Greek govt, via its official spokesperson, Mr Oikonomou, rushed to defame the esteemed NGO, questioning their methodology & suggesting that those responsible for the index are neither scientifically competent nor serious. 5/

At the same time, numerous right-wing #trolls, friendly to the New Democracy govt, were attacking people sharing the index on social media, suggesting that the @RSF_inter is a #far_left (!) NGO with ties to Greek left party SYRIZA. None of those claims, of course, is true. 6/

Next thing that Greek govt did, via their spokesperson, was to share on soc media a map from the @EUI_CMPF suggesting that this was reflecting Greece’s good performance on #press_freedom compared to EU average. However this was a map on information literacy, NOT press freedom. 7/

Many users commented right below the govt spokesperson’s post, telling him that he was misrepresenting the map & relevant report, effectively spreading #misinformation & misleading the public. He never replied & his post with the misleading accompanying text remains in place. 8/

A similar social media post was made by the Secretary General of the Greek parliament & close collaborator of the Prime Minister, Mr Mylonakis, who framed the @RSF_inter's index as a "supposedly 'independent' report", making same false claim that the map from @EUI_CMPF. 9/

Here's where things get really interesting. Soon, an avalanche of private media started reproducing the government’s narrative on the matter, releasing identical stories with no relevant sources and/or authors, & misrepresenting findings from the @EUI_CMPF report. 10/

Doct researcher @antonisgal fact-checked these stories (well, one story essentially) exposing them as misleading/untrue & showing that their source was effectively the Greek govt. However, these have not been retracted, nor has any media apologized for misleading the public. 11/

So, there you have it. Let's summarise: Independent international NGO on #press_freedom, @RSF_inter exposes the problems that Greece is facing under the current government based on thorough research, open & transparent methodology, as reflected in its well-known index. 12/

The government responsible for the deterioration of #press_freedom, uses #misinformation & tries to smear & defame the independent organisation. In this effort, it is assisted by the tightly controlled & govt-friendly private #media, that willingly amplify the govt's message. 13/

The misinformation campaign & misleading reporting is exposed via #fact_checking, yet there is no retraction nor any meaningful debate, with any critical voices being ignored, marginalised, or even attacked as 'far-left', 'anti-govt', ''unpatriotic', etc. 14/

Doesn't this confirm in the most profound way the severe problem that Greece is currently facing with regards to #press_freedom & #public_contestation, & thus with #democracy itself? END/

PS. For broader context, see 👇 older but still relevant thread on Greece's #democratic_backsliding. Back then, I was criticised for comparing Greece to Hungary & Poland. Today, Greece finds itself below those countries in the press_freedom index.

https://mobile.twitter.com/G_Katsambekis/status/1364192938553708554