Strong formal or ownership-related influence of powerholders is exerted on leading news media. Leading news media houses in Greece are owned by powerful entrepreneurs, coming from other sectors of the economy, who use media companies as an effective instrument of serving their business interests.
Media performance is often publicly discussed in the media or online forums – some forms of journalistic coverage of the media. In Greece, the most prevalent institutionalised mechanism to control the performance and role of the news media is the NCRTV, which occasionally has been regarded as ineffective. Although media performance is often discussed in the media or in online forums, this discussion is often merely descriptive or based on the subjective perception of the criticiser, leading to unfocused or unsystematic critique lacking in depth. The most usual context where media performance is investigated and discussed comprehensively and systematically is the academic one.
Austrian newsrooms are positive and try to provide resources for investigative reporting to the extent possible, but funds are strictly limited.
Supply of further education is abundant in Austrian newsrooms, but course attendance is not.
Significant value is attributed to the watchdog function of media in Austria.
Although the Constitution guarantees freedom of information, the absence of a freedom of information act impedes access to public information and exacerbates journalistic work.
Journalists stay for a long time with their employers and are formally well protected by several laws. Economic pressures affect experienced journalists.
The share of higher education among journalists is increasing, but time and resources for professional journalism, as well as job satisfaction, are on the retreat.
Ownership structures are transparent online, but some important information on media and advertising markets is lacking.
By law, journalists’ independence is protected, but ownership structures limit this freedom in practice.
The Media for Democracy Monitor (MDM) is a research project from The Euromedia Research Group. This is a network of researchers that collects and exchanges information that help to describe and analyse developments in media structure and policy in Europe.
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