Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met with newly appointed director Dionysis
Tsaknis and CEO Lambis Tagmatarchis of national broadcaster ERT, which had been
renamed NERIT by the previous government, and announced that it will reopen on
Monday, May 25. Tsipras informed the two men that ERT is officially reopening
next Monday and suggested that their first priority should be the orderly return
of former employees, who had been laid off, to work. The Greek premier said that
ERT should set new standards in public broadcasting, be pluralistic and
independent. He also asked them to restore Greek people’s faith to the national
broadcaster and provide good programming for all. Tsipras also asked for fair
and objective reporting of news, suggesting that ERT should be objective, not a
government mouthpiece, and should not be afraid to criticize government policies
when necessary. Finally, he asked them to be present at the ERT headquarters’
courtyard celebration on June 11, the anniversary of the national broadcaster
shutdown in 2013.
