Media transparency

The General Inspector of Public Administration, Maria Papaspyrou, is to face Parliament's ethics and transparency committee on Tuesday following claims by opposition New Democracy according to which she has not shown objectivity in her role.

In the age of overinformation, sensationalism and countless fake news stories, it comes as no surprise that media trust is at a record low. A recent study across European Union member-states found the phenomenon particularly prevalent in Greece, with 90 percent of respondents expressing suspicion or distrust when it comes to the country's information ecosystem.

A report on freedom of speech and the state of media, which Bosnia's government, the Council of Ministers, adopted on Thursday, and which BIRN has obtained, highlights the problems facing the media in the country.

The Greek media landscape has entered a period of tumultuous changes and realignments that will have an impact for years to come.

However, the government does not seem to have learned from the mistakes of others where the results were nothing short of tragic, even though this is such an important area.

The government faced a deepening political crisis on Tuesday as Parliament's ethics committee was expected to summon State Minister Nikos Pappas and the four winners of a recent auction of television licenses and a senior cabinet member expressed serious concerns about one of the victors, the son of a construction magnate with leftist links who is under investigation for tax evasion.

BELGRADE - Serbia's Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection Rodoljub Sabic congratulated journalists on May 3, World Press Freedom Day, on Monday, wishing them "the accomplishment of several objectives significant for journalists and media, as well as society as a whole."

Turkey's economic development, which has been "looking quite good," hampers the exposure of "real problems," according to OECD Working Group on Bribery chair Drago Kos, who urged that the low level of transparency should be higher on the agenda.

The lack of transparency of media ownership and the decreasing media pluralism are among the main factors contributing to Bulgaria's declining media freedom.

This was one of the most common opinions expressed by participants at a discussion entitled "The risks to freedom of expression".

Freedom of press and independence of the judiciary are vital for the fight against corruption, stated Transparency International, addressing escalating concerns over detainments of journalism in Turkey.

Alternate Minister for Administrative Reform Christoforos Vernardakis announced government plans to introduce a new system for the evaluation and mobility of public servants, establish the National Register for managers and a selection system for supervisors based on merit and to reduce the administrative burden.