TV CHANNEL EVALUATION SHEET Country: GREECE TV Channel: MEGA, Prime Time Evening News Edition

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1 TV CHANNEL EVALUATION SHEET Country: GREECE TV Channel: MEGA, Prime Time Evening News Edition Introduction The MEGA TV channel was the first private television channel in Greece launched on air in 1989 and has since become one of the most popular private TV stations. It is owned by the publishing consortium Teletypos SA and is considered to pursue a left-of-centre ideological orientation. From the very first year of its existence, it has dominated the TV sector in terms of audience and advertising expenditure. It is also available nationwide and has been broadcasting a international satellite service exclusively for Greek Diaspora living in North America and Australia called Mega Cosmos. The methodology for assessing MEGA TV channel is based on four Indicators, built in the framework of MEDIVA project (see MEDIVA Diversity Indicators, a Tool Kit), which aimed at monitoring and evaluating the daily prime time evening news edition capacity to reflect migration related diversity and promote migrant integration. The evaluation of indicators 2-4 and the calculation of relevant scores attributed to them were based on the responses given by a leading journalist and evening news bulletin analyst/editor of MEGA TV channel, during a telephone interview conducted in the beginning of March The calculation of the score for each indicator was organized along the following procedure: we tick answers on the sub-questions and hence give score on the specific questions. Then, we calculated the total score for each indicator which is the average of the sub-indicators score.

2 INDICATOR 2 Media news making/programme production Total Score: Medium (2.2) 2.1 Existence of specialized sections/programmes on news from migrants countries of origin EXPLANATION of scoring: MEGA TV does not have such specialised sections or programmes but the interviewer also argued that no Greek private TV channel broadcast such a programme Όπως επισημάνθηκε κανένα ιδιωτικό μέσω στην Ελλάδα δεν διαθέτει τέτοιο πρόγραμμα, διότι πιθανός να μην παρουσιάζει αρκετό ενδιαφέρον 2.2 If there are such programmes in radio or tv or sections in newspapers, are they broadcasted at the prime time zone or are they at one of the most visible pages of the newspaper/web site EXPLANATION of scoring: no 2.3 Existence of TV programmes in the languages of the main migrant groups of the country 2.4 Existence of specialized journalists on migrants and diversity issues High: 5 EXPLANATION of scoring: there are specialized journalists dealing with migration and diversity issues, even though their number is very limited. Το κανάλι διαθέτει έναν αρκετά γνωστό και έμπειρο δημοσιογράφο που καλύπτει το θέμα από το Filtering of migrant-related news Sources for the news and verifying information (fact-checking) High: 5 EXPLANATION of scoring: A variety of sources is used to verify the migration news, including migration sources. Σύμφωνα με τον πληροφοριοδότη, ο κανόνας είναι ότι μια πηγή ποτέ δεν φτάνει και οι δημοσιογράφοι είναι υποχρεωμένοι να τις διασταυρώσουν. Οι πηγές ποικίλουν αναλόγως με τις διαστάσεις και την ένταση της είδησης. Έτσι, από τη μία αφενός οι επίσημοι φορείς του κράτους: αστυνομία, κυβέρνηση αποτελούν βασικές πηγές. Από την άλλη, όμως, σε μεγάλα θέματα όπως με τα περιστατικά στην 2

3 περιοχή του Αγίου Παντελεήμονα ή τα γεγονότα στον Έβρο, η είδηση διασταυρώνετε με κάποιο ρεπόρτερ που πάει επιτόπου να καταγράψει το συμβάν. Προφανώς οι μετανάστες είναι μέσα στις «υποχρεωτικές» πηγές διότι είναι φανερό ότι πρέπει να έχουν και οι ίδιοι λόγο. Αλλά και στην περίπτωση που η πηγή της είδησης είναι οι αστυνομικές αρχές, αυτή διασταυρώνεται και με άλλες πηγές όπως π.χ. η FRONTEX Who chooses what are the migration related news to be published EXPLANATION of scoring : The newsroom director has the final say on which news and in particular on which migration related news are to be published. Όσον αφορά το κεντρικό δελτίο ειδήσεων την αρμοδιότητα επιλογής των ειδήσεων προς δημοσίευση την έχει η διεύθυνση δηλαδή ο διευθυντής ειδήσεων κατόπιν τριών αλλεπάλληλων συσκέψεων Does the tv channel has an open comments section (reacting to published articles). If they have it, do they edit it for racist language? High: 5 EXPLANATION of scoring: Racist language is not acceptable in the channel. The interviewee was categorical on this. Υπάρχουν αυστηροί κανόνες αναφορικά με την αποφυγή δημοσίευσης σχόλιων με ρατσιστικό περιεχόμενο Adoption of ethical reporting guidelines with regard to vulnerable groups and specifically with regard to immigrants and minorities Medium: 3 EXPLANATION of scoring: The channel has no special ethical code but follows the ethical guidelines of the Athens Union of Daily Press Journalists (ESHEA) and their code of professional journalistic ethics. Δεν υπάρχει κάποιος ειδικός κώδικας. Φροντίζουν να τηρηθεί ο γενικός κώδικας εκείνος της ΕΣΗΕΑ. 3

4 INDICATOR 3: MEDIA RECRUITMENT AND EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES 3.1 Application of measures that are aimed at ensuring that the company s staff reflects the ethnic composition of the migrant population 3.2 Discrimination in the recruitment of third country nationals as media professionals Existence of anti-discrimination measures aimed at preventing discrimination in the recruitment practices of the specific media EXPLANATION of scoring: The respondent argues that although the newspaper has no such employment or recruitment schemes whatsoever, he believes that there is no need to adopt them either since newspaper staff is not racist but rather tolerant in their attitudes toward migrants. His argument is reinforced by the fact that a significant number of newspaper technical staff are of migrant background. Όπως δήλωσε ο ερωτώμενος, θέματα διακρίσεων ή προκαταλήψεων απέναντι στους μετανάστες στο ΜΕΓΑ δεν έχουν παρατηρηθεί. Υπάρχουν μετανάστες που εργάζονται στο κανάλι αλλά ως τεχνικοί και όχι ως δημοσιογράφοι. Από την άλλη όμως, δεν γνωρίζει περιπτώσεις που μετανάστες να έχουν ζητήσει δουλειά ως δημοσιογράφοι. 3.3 Existence of outreach schemes that involve mentoring or supporting individuals from an immigrant background EXPLANATION of scoring: no Monitoring/evaluation of the implementation of such schemes by the company itself 3.4 Existence of special diversity departments in the media EXPLANATION of scoring: no 4

5 INDICATOR 4 - MEDIA TRAINING PRACTICES 1.1 Existence of training opportunities tailored to the needs of migrant media professionals EXPLANATION of scoring : MEGA TV does not provide for such training and generally has no training for its journalists. Όχι, γενικά δεν υπάρχει κανένα είδος 4.2. a) Existence of courses aiming at raising the awareness of media professionals on diversity and how it should be reported 4.2. b) Existence of an obligation to attend such courses 4.3. Involvement of migrant or minority representatives/ experts in design and/ or implementation of such diversity training 4.4. Monitoring and reporting systems for ethno-cultural diversity training 4.5. Diversity goals included in HR training policies for all levels of staff 5

6 INDICATOR 1 MEDIA CONTENT The evaluation of indicator 1 is qualitative in nature and based on data processing that was obtained by the monitoring of the daily news coverage of prime time evening news bulletin during the sampling period. The period of sampling was organised around three periods. The selected dates for each period are: 1 st Period: November nd Period: January rd Period: 7-28 February 2012 The assessment of the news content of MEGA TV channel used as unit of analysis the news items and reports on full evening news. Then, we count the total number of news/reports items for the period coded and find out how many of those items are related to migration or refer to migrants (for more details see the table below). Finally, the total mean score of the indicator 1 is based on the average of the sub-indicators score Indicator 1 Total Score: Low (1.8) 1.1 Positive (5) vs. negative (1) representation of third country nationals in the news Medium 1-3 (3) 1.2 Active (5) vs. passive (1) representation of third country nationals in the news Low 2-1 (2.1) 1.3 Immigrant views or concerns represented in mainstream news/issues (0%) 1.4 Immigrant views or concerns represented in migrant-specific news/issues (14%) 1 3 items are coded as high - 1 as medium 3 as low. Total mean score are coded as medium 3 as low. Total mean score

7 M E G A T V C H A N N E L Date of publicatio n Reference to migrants 1.1 Positive vs. Negative Indicator 1.1: Scoring Table 1.2 Active vs. Passive positive negative active passive 1.3 Migrant views present in mainstream news 1.4 Migrant views present in migrantspecific news Total news/articles items 23/11/11 no 24 24/11/11 no 19 25/11/11 no 20 26/11/11 Yes (10 ) no no 21 27/11/11 Yes (3) (victim of robbery) (3) no yes 21 28/11/11 no 25 29/11/11 no 23 25/01/12 No 20 26/01/12 No 19 27/01/12 No 18 28/01/12 No 17 29/01/12 No 19 30/01/12 No 18 31/01/12 No 20 7

8 7/02/12 Yes: world news yes (3) no no 21 8/02/12 yes yes (3) no no 20 9/02/12 no 19 10/02/12 no 20 11/02/12 no 20 12/02/12 no 20 13/02/12 no 19 14/02/12 no 20 15/02/12 no 19 16/02/12 yes Yes (3) no no 20 17/02/12 no 17 18/02/12 no 21 19/02/12 no 20 20/02/12 no 19 21/02/12 no 20 22/02/12 no 21 23/02/12 yes no no 17 24/02/12 no 16 25/02/12 Yes no no 19 26/02/12 no 20 27/02/12 no 18 28/02/12 no 21 Total 7 1% 4 57% 3 43% 4 57% 3 43% 0% 1 14% 711 8