The International Congress held in Eretria, Greece coincided with the 60th anniversary of the Association and the 40th anniversary of the Greek Section. It was organised with the support of the Region of Central Greece and the Office of the European Parliament in Greece.
From 26 to 30 October 2022 eighty foreign journalists visited emblematic monuments of Central Greece: Delphi, martyrdom Distomo, Orchomenos, St John the Russian and the Museum of Asia Minor Culture. They also learned about businesses that highlight the comparative advantages of the region.
On Friday, October 28, the General Assembly and the Elections were held for the International Board of AEJ. Ms. Saia Tsaousidou, the president of the Greek Section of AEJ (EEDAD), was re-elected International President for a second term.
On Saturday, October 29, the Annual Congress took place on the topic: “Journalism in Peace and War”. President Tsaousidou said that the Association of European Journalists had been fighting for 60 years for the freedom and independence of the media. The conference was greeted by Fanis Spanos, Regional Governor of Central Greece; Yiannis Dimitropoulos, Mayor of Eretria and Anna Efstathiou, Press Officer of the European Parliament in Greece. A recorded message was sent by Vera Jourova, EU Vice-President and Commissioner for Values and Transparency, as well as MEP Anna Michel Asimakopoulou.
The first panel was dedicated to the development of the Region of Central Greece. Andreas Loukatos, CEO of Oinophyta Asopos Business Park and Secretary General of the Central Greece Industry Association deployed his vision for the region. Giorgos Mavraganis, Director of Strategic Planning at Elval Halcor, spoke about the development and the importance of internationalisation for Greek companies. He also shared Elval Halcor’s vision for a sustainable world.
Afterwards, Giorgos Simopoulos, Director of STAR TV Central Greece, spoke about the role of regional television and emphasized the role of STAR TV in the region. Spyros Latsas, Journalist and member of the Board of Directors of EEDAD, spoke about the contribution of regional media to the development of local society. Sofia Nikolaou, Former Secretary General of Anti-Criminal Policy of the Ministry of Citizen Protection spoke about journalism and defamation, and the difficulty of distinguishing between legitimate criticism of a public figure and slander.
The second panel of the congress dealt with the war in Ukraine, the media and disinformation. Sofia Voultepsi, Journalist and Deputy Minister of Immigration spoke about the propaganda in the war and the role of journalists who must reveal the truth. In just wars, propaganda and censorship are intended to maintain the high morale of the people and the army and to prevent the leakage of information to the enemy, while in unjust wars, propaganda and censorship are intended to enforce the so-called “dominant view”, to justify the war and to hide its real causes, which are never humanitarian.
Dr. Panagiotis Sfaelos, Secretary General of the Greek Section of AEJ spoke about the war in Ukraine and the critical role of the media in providing accurate information and fighting fake news. He pointed out that propaganda and deliberate disinformation are weapons of a hybrid war. The role of the media, especially in wartime, is to conduct critical research, as these decisions have a huge impact on the delicate balances of international relations. Journalists have a duty to provide information that helps the public to understand what is happening and engage with as many aspects of each news story as possible in order to avoid fake news. The news must be verified and cross-referenced to inform the world accurately and objectively.
Llewellyn King, founder and producer of “White House Chronicle” on PBS, columnist at Inside Sources Syndicate, Forbes, and Main Commentator on Sirius XM Radio spoke about the energy crisis as a result of the war in Ukraine. As he said, the war has changed the geopolitical facts, resulting in a lack of energy security and sufficiency. Khoa Le, Journalist from Vietnam and founder of the news site www.thoibao.de and Tibor Macak, RTVS Journalist and AEJ Vice President spoke about the uses and abuses of digital technologies.
The President of the Union of Photojournalists, Vassilios Koutroumanos, spoke about Mariupol in Ukraine, which he has frequently visited. He referred to its centuries-old Greek traditions and the persecutions suffered. His exhibition of photos from Ukraine entitled “The Peaceful Mariupol of the Greeks“ was hosted at the conference. He also mentioned the school library in the Greek village of Sartana of Mariupoli, which was created on his initiative.
Journalist Lena Kyropoulos presented a documentary on Ukraine which will be shown on NETFLIX and other platforms.
The last panel was dedicated to the Freedom of the Press. Kyriakos Pieridis, Journalist and Press Freedom Representative of AEJ and Hasan Kahvecioglou Turkish Cypriot journalist spoke about the current situation in Cyprus and its impact on peace and stability in the region and the role of the media. Speakers referred to Erdogan’s threats and ban on entry of journalists to Turkey. Esra Aygin and Katerina Gennari spoke about the bi-communal relationship of journalists in Cyprus. As they pointed out, the media in the occupied territories are fully controlled by Turkey. Sami Ozulu and Loukianos Lyritsas spoke about the challenges for media freedom and pluralism in Cyprus.
Irina Nedeva, Journalist and President of the Bulgarian Section of AEJ, Fake News Expert and Presenter on the Bulgarian Radio spoke about media freedom in Europe.
Edward Steen, Secretary General of AEJ presented the investigation that the Association of European Journalists has done on the scandal of the ‘golden passports’ in Europe.
The Congress ended with an address by honorary International AEJ President Otmar Lahodynsky, who referred to the achievements of AEJ over the last 60 years. He stressed the need to renew the Association by enrolling young journalists in all the sections.
Media represented at the conference: WHITE HOUSE CHRONICLE, BBC, RTE RADIO AND TV, AL JAZEERA, DAILY MAIL, IL GIORNALE EUROPEO, TVE: SPANISH TV, COPE RADIO, VOCENTO NEWSPAPERS, AP TELEVISION NEWS, KANAL D – TV, OSSERVATORIO BALCANI E CAUCASO, IRISH NEWS, IRISH TV, SLOVAK TV/RADIO, POLAND TV/RADIO, PORTUGAL TV/RADIO, RADIO ROMANIA, ROMANIAN BROADCASTING, RADIO TRINITAS, FREE EUROPE ROMANIA, HETQ ARMENIA, NORDIC COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION, BNR BULGARIA, STUDIO ARD VIENNA, VERBUM PRESS ITALY, PAESE ITALIA PRESS, THOIBAO BERLIN, SAOR IRISEOIR RNAG, DFA MEDIA, CAROUSEL INTERNET PUBLISHING, POLITIS CYPRUS, KANAL SIM TV, DEUTSCHE WELLE, INSTITUTE FOR MASS MEDIA, ATALAYAR SPAIN, HALKIN SESI DAILY
Sponsors of the Conference: Region of Central Greece, ELVALHALCOR, PAPAPOSTOLOU N. SA medical devices, VIP’S SECURITY, DIRECT BUSINESS NETWORK PAPALIOS MEDIA GROUP, PED, OLNE, Municipality of Eretria, Union of Shopkeepers of Evia, Chamber of Evia, Chamber of Boeotia, Regional Chamber Council of Sterea, Municipality of Delphi, Municipality of Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra, Municipality of Mantoudi-Limni – Agia Anna, Municipality of Orchomenos, Boeotia, Agri-Food Partnership of Central Greece, Evia Rescue Team S.A.R. 312
Products offered to journalistsby : Paliria, Dirfys Mushrooms EVIA, SPIROPOULOS – Tsipoura, ERKYNA CounSEP, LYKOS WINERY, Wines from the Muses Estate, courtesy of the Chamber of Boeotia, The bag packs were provided by ELVALHALKOR
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