The law makes spreading misinformation punishable by a fine and imprisonment for three months or more. After the Prime Minister called social media ‘a threat for democracy’ last year, the Parliament passed a law making it a criminal offence ‘to spread false news, capable of causing concern or fear to the public or undermining public confidence in the national economy, the country’s defence capacity or public health’. Despite the range of social media platforms now used for news, which include messaging applications, TikTok and Instagram, Facebook is still king with 53% of the online population using it for news.ĭuring the COVID-19 vaccination programme, the discussion surrounding the role of social media in society intensified, particularly due to anti-vaccination personalities on Facebook spreading misinformation. Publishers allocate considerable time and resources in their social media distribution strategies, as platforms generate a large share of traffic to news websites. Around seven in ten (71%) of online users get news this way each week, partly explaining the fragmentation of the online media market. Social media news use is very high in Greece. Charts οf the most successful news-related podcasts suggest that listeners prefer opinionated discussions and documentary-style analysis of current affairs. While last year there were mostly digital-born and digital-savvy news organisations experimenting with podcasts, this year saw legacy news organisations like Kathimerini entering the market with current affairs discussions. On top of these problems for news media organisations, the percentage of those very or extremely interested in news in Greece fell by seven percentage points (pp) during the past year, as it did across most countries, partly due to COVID-19 news fatigue. The majority of news brands in Greece still prioritise page views over building loyal audiences, partly explaining why there is not a culture of payment of online news in Greece. Many digital-born brands are news websites created by journalists who became prominent while working for legacy news organisations. The online news media market in Greece is fragmented and heavily disrupted: the audience’s attention is divided between many news sources and the legacy news market has been disrupted by pure-players such as Newsbomb and News247. In this environment, it is no surprise that Greece has the lowest share of citizens thinking that the press is free from undue political (7%) or business (8%) influence across 46 countries. At the same time, the case of an alleged attempt by a minister of the previous government to interfere with the TV licensing process is expected to reach a special court. This discussion follows a long tradition of vague criteria for state support for news organisations in Greece. Journalists and watchdog organisations like Vouliwatch have been asking the government to release the confidential criteria behind the funding. The controversy over the government’s payments to particular news organisations for broadcasting COVID ‘stay at home’ messages in 2020 intensified, as a parliamentary inquiry examined the process. Perceptions of media bias have been central in the political debate during the past year in Greece. The media market in Greece is characterised by digital fragmentation, lack of trust in news, high perceptions of undue influence, and high use of social media for news.
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