Innovatons In Greek Poltcal Communcaton And Consequences: Sgnfcant changes from 1981-2009 Anastasa Delgaour TEI of Western Macedona, Greece E-mal: a.delgaour@kastora.tekoz.gr Abstract The ntroducton of new communcatve ethcs n poltcs has mposed new procedures and values n poltcs. The close nter-relaton of meda and poltcs has many facets and effects on the way poltcs s exercsed and on how t s perceved by the ctzens. Ths artcle nvestgates how new methods of poltcal communcaton have been nternalzed nto Greek meda democracy, dvdng the perod from 1981 to the present nto fve perods of meda democracy based on sgnfcant events that sgnaled the transton towards new communcatve and poltcal ethcs. A study of artcles from two newspapers provdes useful nsghts nto the role of the meda, especally durng electoral campagns and n poltcs n general. Our research also reflects how the specfc soco-poltcal context of the country nterferes and affects the adopton of "mported" methods n poltcal communcaton and how these methods affect ctzens poltcal behavor. Keywords: poltcal communcaton, newspapers, ctzens, amercanzaton, meda democracy, electons EDIA DEMOCRACY s the term whch sgnfes - n the most vvd and M succnct way - the close nter-connecton between the meda and poltcs. Most of the current theoretcal approaches allege that nowadays there s not only a strong connecton between the meda and poltcs but also that they overlap to such an extent that t s dffcult to dstngush between them (the fuson or symboss model, see Meyer & Hnchman 2002:49-52). However, the characterstcs of socal and poltcal lfe n a specfc socety do affect the realzaton of any model. We beleve that the presentaton and analyss of the Greek case can llustrate two facts: Estudos em Comuncação nº 10, 47-70 Dezembro de 2011
48 Anastasa Delgaour Frst of all The Greek case hghlghts the fact that Amercan-style methods of poltcal communcaton methods and neolberal economc structures seem to preval n Western democraces. Greek meda democracy can be adequately understood only f t s placed wthn ths global poltcal context whch s governed prmarly by the rules of the free market and of a free economy. Transnatonal captalsm and hyper-ndustralsm, enrched by the sprt of neo-lberalsm and progressve prvatzaton, are the key factors n the deregulaton scheme n meda ndustres (Sussman, 2005). Convergence n economc condtons and medated perceptons of poltcs are unfyng factors n the easy acceptance and applcaton of the Amercanzed model of poltcal communcaton n post-ndustral socetes (Norrs, 2002). Second, the specfc condtons and partcular character of each poltcal settng both determne and defne the nature of the adaptaton of the specfc model. Ths s portrayed n the analyss of the Greek case whch, whle mantanng a resemblance to the general model, at the same tme reflects ts dstnctveness. Socal condtons, specfc facts and natonal events that demand specal poltcal treatment transform meda democracy nto a unque case for each country that should always be examned n concreto. Ths artcle frst summarzes the basc characterstcs and consequences of meda democracy n poltcs and then attempts to relate ths to Greek meda democracy by hghlghtng ts relevant partculartes. Facets Of The Amercanzed Model In Poltcal Communcaton The meda spectrum has covered poltcal and socal lfe n full, and whether our research focuses on procedures, poltcal dscourse or poltcal deas, t s obvous that poltcs has to tolerate ts colonzaton by the meda. In any colonzaton stuaton, moreover n meda colonzaton, the crucal queston arsng focuses on the domnant part whch prevals aganst the other. More specfcally, hypothetcal questons could be formed n such a way: Are the meda mposng ther own rules on poltcs or vce versa? Who s n charge of the functon of meda democracy? Meyer & Hnchman (2002) envsage: In colonzng poltcs the logc of meda system does not smply restructure the way the poltcal s portrayed or ts relaton to other systems; t affects
Innovatons In Greek Poltcal Communcaton And Consequences 49 the poltcal process at the producton level,.e. where the poltcal sphere emerges as a unque form of lfe. (2002:57). Enzensberger (1974), approachng the ssue from a realstc vewpont, ponders over the problem of meda power. As he proposes, the ssue s not to fnd out whether the meda have power, snce ther ablty to affect publc opnon s ndsputable, but rather that the key ssue s actually who controls meda and who exercses power n and wthn ths context. In ths undefned relatonshp between meda and poltcs, t s heren assumed that the meda defnes poltcal procedures, rather than vce versa. The mplcatons that the meda may have on poltcs concern both the nternal (procedures, decson) and external sphere of poltcs (methods of publcty, ctzens percepton of poltcs). The problems detected n our research are related to both spheres, underlyng the fact, however, that the external sde s naturally vulnerable to the medum of publcty whle the nternal sphere could have kept some degree of ndependence. It s qute mpossble to summarze the entre dscusson on meda democracy, yet we can brefly refer to the man features and consequences of the well-known term of Amercanzaton (Papathanasopoulos, 1996, 2000b; Swanson & Mancn, 1996). To acheve better control of ths wde topc, a few basc thematc categores have been developed and our remarks ncluded n them. Therefore, the most mportant and representatve mplcatons are consdered to be the followng: a) Important consequences are detected n the representatve character of democracy. In the frst place, the meda does not always provde equal access to all poltcans nor to all poltcal opnons. Hence, specfc poltcal eltes are more prvleged n ther partcpaton n the meda publc sphere. Second, the nternal sphere of poltcal partes has been altered due to the lack of nterest from ctzens, somethng whch manly derves from the declne n deologcal representatons n poltcal partes and, consequently, a declne n the representatve bass of poltcal partes. Poltcal partes have lost ther man democratc lablty and have faled to adequately address ther duty of artculatng socal nterests wth ther own publc dscourse. The absence of strong deologcal bonds has loosened the structures of poltcal partes and, n some cases, has changed the whole mage of the partes themselves.
50 Anastasa Delgaour New forms of nclusve partes have appeared, fghtng to convnce us of ther ablty to cover a wde poltcal spectrum of deas and serve the democratzaton of poltcal opnons. To ths end, TV has contrbuted to ths "apoltcal" stuaton by promotng not deologcal battles but nstead spectacular quarrels that provde nether poltcal proposals nor solutons; they are smply another aspect of the well-known nfotanment effect (Bennett 1999). b) Furthermore, functonal and structural problems n basc consttutons of parlamentary democratc procedures and values have occurred, such as the dmnshng role and power of Parlament and the role of the poltcal partes n t, as a result of meda nterventon n poltcs. Malfunctons n the representatve character of contemporary democraces have mposed chan reactons on nsttutons concerned. If problems wthn poltcal partes are dscerned, then t s qute obvous that both parlamentary procedures and the symbolc power of parlament wll be nevtably weakened. Much more mportance and attenton s gven to the poltcal representaton of partes on TV rather than n parlament. Nowadays, elected poltcans do not necessarly represent dfferent socal groups and nterests but, nstead, are nvarably elected based on the frequency of ther appearances on TV. A new poltcal vrtue was promoted wthn meda democracy; a poltcan s communcatve ablty and appeal on TV regardless of the poltcal argumentaton artculated. Moreover, beng popular on TV does not necessarly mean beng real as well. Hence, on TV, plausblty sometmes equates to truth. c) Poltcal communcaton and electoral campagns have become another communcatve strategy n the hands of experts, gnorng real poltcal decsons (Sussman, 2005). In the neo-lberalsm mleu, where poltcal consultants and market experts are nvolved n electons much more than voters themselves, poltcans are undoubtedly used lke any other product n an effort to reach a wder audence. Modern communcatve methods expect poltcans to engage n poltcs under the logc of playng rather than actng. Theatrcalzaton s the key term n order to understand all the above procedures (Meyer, 2000). Market rules also apply to poltcal nformaton, whch s gradually beng detached from real problems and socal expectatons.
Innovatons In Greek Poltcal Communcaton And Consequences 51 d) The replacement or absorpton of the publc sphere from the meda sphere whch leads to the absence of poltcal dalogue, a lack of poltcal actvsm and so on s one of the key arguments n the dscusson on meda domnance (Dahlgren, 1995). In the era of extended vsualty, the concept of publc as a place of common, shared experences and exchange of deas has shfted to televson screens. Ctzens nowadays are engaged n representatons of the world provded by the meda and form ther experences based on the constructed yet common vsualty. Henceforth, snce these meda representatons are carefully de-poltczed, poltcal atttude easly conforms to meda poltcs and ther trends. e) Serous changes n the poltcal behavor of ctzens that have been regarded frst as vewers and consumers of poltcal spectacle on TV and afterwards as voters (Entman, 1989; Edelman, 1997). The electorate s consumng poltcs n these rapd meda tmes and the crucal tme for poltcs to be understood, apprecated and judged s beng replaced by meda mechansms. The borders between meda tme and poltcal tme have become confused and unfed, thus also blurrng ther functons. Fnally, de-poltczaton and the transformaton of deology have been dentfed as the man consequences of the above stuaton (Delgaour, 2006). On the other hand, the postve contrbutons that the meda has mposed on poltcal lfe should not be gnored. The drect and lve nformaton that ctzens obtan from TV, the contnuous exercse of control of poltcans by journalsts, leavng lttle room for mstakes, and the democratzaton of the freedom of speech (under precondtons that should be mantaned) are some of the postve aspects of democracy n an Informaton Socety. Certanly, n-depth analyss reveals that the quantty of nformaton s not always synonymous wth qualty. The latter sometmes does not meet the predetermned expectatons and can be a controversal ssue. The basc characterstcs mentoned before am to provde a general framework of the amercanzaton of poltcal communcaton methods as these are detected n the majorty of cases. Ths artcle wll concentrate bascally on the communcatve strategy and methods that have changed steadly because of the ntroducton of ths model n Greek poltcs. Therefore, we are lookng through newspaper artcles, how opnon polls, TV debates, poltcal adver-
52 Anastasa Delgaour tsement and smlar new poltcal communcaton methods were employed n Greek electoral perods and how ther sgnfcance s reflected n the front pages of newspapers. The author beleves that meda democracy s not another form or evoluton of a tradtonal, representatve democracy. Nowadays, meda democracy s the domnant form of contemporary poltcs, and, as has been recognzed, t s the man forum where power s exercsed. In corroboraton of ths statement, most of the surveys conducted ndcate clearly that the meda s the man source of both poltcal acton and, at the same tme, nformaton. The meda has permeated all aspects of poltcal lfe. Perhaps reference should be made not only to the communcaton of poltcs (Negrne, 1996) but also to the poltcs of communcaton, a term whch seems to have an even more powerful connotaton. Research Queston and Hypothess The am of ths research and the man research problem t addresses s how new methods of poltcal communcaton as ntroduced by the amercanzaton model are nternalzed n dfferent ways and levels accordng to the specfc condtons that preval n dfferent countres. Our hypothess s that for the Greek case ths gradual nternalzaton of new communcatve methods especally durng electoral campagns s related to two correlated varables: 1. The poltcal stuaton of each electoral perod. Therefore where there s a strong poltcal controversy we assume that not much sgnfcance s put on communcatve methods but rather on poltcal argumentaton. 2. The specfc characterstcs of Greek socety and ts structure that affect the way these new communcatve methods are accepted and apprecated n Greek poltcal system.
Innovatons In Greek Poltcal Communcaton And Consequences 53 Innovatons In Poltcal Communcaton In Greek Poltcs a) Methodology n newspaper artcles In ths artcle, fve perods of Greek meda democracy are proposed accordng to the nternatonal nnovatons n communcaton adopted or affected durng each perod, n ths way llustratng the gradual nternalzaton of new tools nto poltcal communcaton. The argumentaton and research provded n ths paper s twofold. Frst, we undertake a content analyss of the front pages of two hghcrculaton newspapers n order to capture the general mpact of the development of new methods of poltcal communcaton as well as ther effect on poltcs. Lterally, ths nvolved countng the frequency of the references n each newspaper s front- page artcles that concern methods of poltcal communcaton. (see below ) Second, accordng to our fndngs and by combnng these wth key events that sgnaled the advent of new methods or the changng sgnfcance of exstng ones, the dfferent perods of Greek meda democracy are dentfed. In order to make the fndngs of the research more comprehensble to the reader, our theoretcal standponts are underlned, justfyng both the structure and the prelmnary choces made n ths research. More specfcally the steps n our methodology are the followng: 1. We use two wdely-crculated newspapers, one publshed n Northern Greece ( Makedona ) and one n Southern Greece ( To Vma ), whch also reflect opposng poltcal deologes. The former s supportve of the conservatve poltcal party (New Democracy-ND), whle the latter tradtonally mantans a postve vew of socalst deology (Pan Hellenc Socalst Movement-PASOK). In ths way, an attempt s made to provde both geographcally and deologcally opposng vews. 2. The content analyss appled concerns only the front pages of the newspapers based on the ratonale that headlnes and artcles on the front page reflect the most up-to-date events, topcal subjects and major poltcal news. We assume that when new methods of poltcal communcaton are n the headlnes of poltcal news, they consttute an mportant
54 Anastasa Delgaour topc on the poltcal agenda. It could also logcally be assumed that when meda nvolvement s not on the front page, poltcal nterest s also low. 3. The content analyss of the artcles s searchng for key words or phrases that refer to new methods of poltcal communcaton or reveal the mportance of the meda n the poltcal scene (for example words lke polls, debates, poltcal consultants etc). Each artcle, regardless of the total number of references ncluded n t, s counted as only one reference; therefore, our unt of measurement s the artcle tself; smply, t s the number of artcles that s counted not the number of references n the artcles. References concernng the re-utlzaton of tradtonal methods of poltcal communcaton wthn the meda (eg: poltcal ralles covered on TV orchestrated are also ncluded). More specfcally, n the word count, we have ncluded references to the role of TV, opnons polls, poltcal debates, poltcal advertsements, ext polls, communcaton strateges, profles of leaders, the role of consultants and the role of Internet. On a second level, the content analyss mplemented takes a more qualtatve and crtcal approach, analyzng the general content of an artcle and evaluatng ts relevance to new communcatve settngs. In ths qualtatve nterpretaton of the artcles we justfy the fve perods of meda democracy n Greece. 1. The research was conducted nto the offcal electoral perods for each electon that has taken place from 1981 onwards. Ths choce s based on the fact that s easer to detect the mportance of methods of poltcal communcaton and nnovatons durng perods when poltcal nformaton ncreases (Plos, 2004:58) and when poltcal opposton becomes more ntense leadng up to mportant electons, as was the case. 2. The 1981 electons were chosen as our startng pont because these were the frst electons followng the Resttuton of Democracy n 1974, when the poltcal struggle was partcularly ntense and when the regulaton of televson ar-tme emerged as an mportant factor n poltcal rvalry.
Innovatons In Greek Poltcal Communcaton And Consequences 55 b) Analyss of the results In general, the number of references on the front pages of the newspapers (headlnes and artcles) has proved that the mpact of meda nvolvement n poltcal campagns progressvely evolved as Greek socety became more emancpated, at the same tme accommodatng the "Amercansed" model n poltcal campagns and the role of the meda n them (Sussman, 2005). It should be ponted out, though, that n cases where there was a natonal crss nvolved (eg: 1989a and 1989b electons) or other mportant events of natonal nterest (eg: forest fres durng the 2007 electons), references to methods of poltcal communcaton dmnshed sgnfcantly. Ths may be due to the fact that such socal problems and ther mpact naturally take precedence over the dscusson of communcatve tactcs. Ths fact verfes our hypothess regardng the frst varable. The followng dagram provdes a comparatve portrayal of the two newspapers: Dagram 1: Comparatve representaton of references n two newspapers More specfcally, conclusons drawn from the above dagram could be summarzed n the followng ponts:
56 Anastasa Delgaour Quanttatve analyss The frequency of references n methods of poltcal communcaton remans at almost the same level from 1981 untl 1990, yet notceably declnes n 1989, concdng wth a very unstable poltcal stuaton n Greece n 1989 and 1990. After two successve electons (1989a and 1989b), the country was at a crtcal pont poltcally as t faced the dlemma of no government beng elected for a thrd tme, due to the falure of the 1989a and 1989b electons to form an ndependent, selfsustaned one-party cabnet. 1990 was also the year that prvate meda, after ther unantcpated entry n 1987, made ther frst steps nto poltcs but stll under a vel of legal uncertanty, snce ther exstence depended on poltcal decsons. From 1993 and n the followng electons, an upward trend s evdent. Certanly one reason for ths tendency s the new commercal meda that had opened up new horzons n poltcal communcaton, brngng new rules to the poltcal game and complyng wth nternatonal methods of communcaton. The poltcal struggle n the electons of 2000, after almost 20 years of the socalst party beng n power, was extremely hard. Ths ntensve struggle s also reflected n the references to the meda and to methods of poltcal communcaton, (opnon polls, TV, Internet) as poltcal partes were makng a contnuous attempt to use or re-nvent new forms of communcaton n the hope of wnnng the electons. The declne n 2007 s due to the catastrophc fres lastng for a week or more turned Southern Greece (the Peloponnese) nto a desert area. Consequently, poltcal contradcton was not consdered poltcally correct and was replaced by a natonal feelng of unty to help and comfort the vctms. Ths concluson verfes somehow the second varable of our hypothess. Qualtatve content approach of the artcles and specal condtons In the electons of 1981 and 1985 the majorty of the references on TV concern the regulaton of a far poltcal competence arena n TV and the
Innovatons In Greek Poltcal Communcaton And Consequences 57 settng of necessary regulatons to prevent publc TV from paternalsm n favour of the governng party. In the electons of 1989 (a and b) and 1990 the poltcal struggle and the am of formng a sustanable government left asde communcaton strategy. A strong and sometmes offensve poltcal argumentaton can be detected between poltcal partes centerng on the tactcs and man polcy of the opposng party. New commercal meda were stll n ther nfancy at ths tme and some reservaton regardng ther role can be observed n the references. In the front-page artcles, though, we can fnd the frst hnts and crtcal comments on the newly-emergng medated poltcal settng that was shftng the core of poltcal argument towards the strategc use of the meda and mages. From the electons of 1993 and thereafter, meda nterference matured, as t was now fully apprecated by poltcans for ts mportance and, as a consequence, ts role was ncreasngly accepted. Appearances of poltcans on TV marked an mportant turnng-pont whch was commented on suffcently n the press. Opnon-polls also became ncreasngly sgnfcant and ther results became a relable poltcal barometer for newspapers. The 1996 electons are well-known for the transton of the poltcal arena from ralles to the TV arena followng the decson by Kostas Smts (the Greek Prme Mnster) to keep poltcal opposton wthn a calm, more cvlzed envronment. The frst debate between party leaders dd actually happen but wth only two partcpants, the poltcal leaders of the two major partes. Crtcal remarks argung about the loss of poltcs and the couch electons (Kakepak, 2001:53), see ncreasng publcty and cast doubt on the nature of the newly-emergng poltcal settng. Ambguty s notceable n the artcles references. Gradually, from 1996 untl 2007, the artcles references put growng emphass on trendy methods of poltcal communcaton, and the poltcal struggle tends to have become a synonym for poltcal spectacle. Poltcal communcaton methods and ther mpact are n 80% of the front-page artcles and more space s devoted n these front pages to the presentaton of rather than to party polcy. Webstes, poltcal advertsements, Internet, attenton to the poltcal profles of the readers and professonal consultants supportng electoral campagns are at the
58 Anastasa Delgaour centre of the poltcal agenda. The apathy of ctzens s at the forefront of research studes. Poltcs s gradually no longer perceved as a partcpatory act towards provdng solutons to socal problems but nstead as a TV theatre where well-dressed and well-prepared opponents fght for power. By analyzng each newspaper, the followng can be seen: Dagram 2: Representaton of references n Makedona newspaper A slght ncrease n the frequency of references s evdent between 1985 and 1989 (a) due to the fact that the poltcal party that Makedona was supposedly supportng (ND) was not n power. Therefore, a sgnfcant number of artcles express strong crtcsm of the manpulaton of the meda (stll durng the era of state monopoly) n favour of the governng party. Agan, there s an ncrease from 1993 onwards, showng the ongong rse n the mportance of the meda. The "peak" n 2000 s because the poltcal struggle durng ths electoral perod was extremely ntense and ambvalent snce the lberals (ND) were strvng to wn the electons after havng been n opposton for almost 20 years. In 1996, Makedona, due to the fnancal problems t faced, ceased publcaton. In Dagram 1, the frequency of references to the electons
Innovatons In Greek Poltcal Communcaton And Consequences 59 of 1996 s shown aganst the prevous and the followng electoral perod and n relaton to the general tendency n the newspaper. For the socalst-algned newspaper To Vma, the followng can be seen: Dagram 2: Representaton of references n To Vma newspaper A declne n the number of references from 1981 untl 1990 can be justfed by the fact that snce the Socalst party won the electons of 1981 and ts power was largely uncontested, there was lttle need for ntensve exposure on TV or to pay specal attenton to poltcal communcaton. Therefore, the newspaper artcles do not put emphass on the communcatve polcy of PASOK but nstead on the poltcs beng exercsed. An ncrease from 1993 onwards s clearly vsble n the above dagram, reachng a peak n the 2004 electons when there was a hgh lkelhood that PASOK, after a long perod n power, would lose the electon, as was fnally the case.
60 Anastasa Delgaour Identfyng The Perods Of Greek Meda Democracy The observatons and remarks above on Greek meda democracy confrm our ntal comments n the ntroducton. Dfferent democraces and varyng condtons create alternatve forms of meda democracy. In the Greek case, there s clear evdence of ths contnuous contrast and synthess between global trends and natonal peculartes. The categorzaton of Greek meda democracy s based on two crtera: a) events that took place and had an mpact on the nter-connecton between the meda and poltcs, and b) the results of the qualtatve content analyss n the front pages of the newspaper artcles prevously mentoned. More specfcally, accordng to the poltcal nnovatons ntroduced n Greek poltcs and the sgnfcant events that altered the route of poltcal communcaton n Greece, fve perods of tme n Greek meda democracy have been dentfed. a) 1981-1987 State monopoly n the meda. Growng poltczaton of the meda. Ths perod can be characterzed as the ntroductory - whle stll nnocent - perod of meda democracy. The startng pont s 1981 when three postve nnovatons (Makedona, 17/10/1981) sgnaled the advent of poltcal communcaton n Greece. One of these nnovatons was the free use of TV by all poltcal partes (Makedona, 17/10/1981), whch was apprecated as the democratzaton of electoral contradctons. Ths was stll durng the regn of publc servce broadcastng, when the crucal electons of 1981 boosted poltcal opposton. In the electoral perod of October 1981, t became clear that the strength of the Socalst party was growng, and equalty n poltcal means of communcaton was vtal n the struggle between the two bggest poltcal partes (ND and PASOK) wth smaller partes fghtng for ther own partcpaton n a far poltcal game. Ths s the reason why the regulaton of TV ar-tme durng the electoral perod was one of the prmary goals of the newly-establshed nter-party commttee, whch was attemptng to acheve an equtable and proportonal allocaton of TV ar-tme for all partes based on the number of parlamentary seats ganed n the prevous electons n 1977. Therefore, the prncpal ssue n poltcal communcaton was the set-
Innovatons In Greek Poltcal Communcaton And Consequences 61 tlement of TV ar-tme and the coverage of poltcal ralles (see ndc. Makedona 20-09-1981, 10-05-1985 and To Vma, 24-09-1981, 2-05-1985). In ths polemc atmosphere, TV was respected for the opportuntes t could provde to poltcans as an open forum for presentng ther deas. In parallel, several techncal characterstcs of TV were, for the frst tme, utlzed wdely and professonally n an undsgused way. The names of TV drectors were by now becomng known, smultaneously sgnfyng a new era n the nter-connecton between poltcs and TV, as t had become evdent that TV could serve as somethng more than a smple medum for publczng poltcs. The frst fearful comments on poltcal marketng and the professonal promoton of poltcans were publshed (see ndc. Metaxas, To Vma, 9-10- 1981) n an attempt to warn of the mmnent pervason of meda technques n poltcal campagns and the need to educate ctzens n these mported poltcal methods. The rse of mage and the sgnfcance of the poltcal leader s personal profle are also underlned (Sunday To Vma, 10-11/10-1981). Steadly, the use of TV became an ndspensable part of poltcs, and durng the natonal electons of 1985, the use of cameras and drecton of camerashots n poltcal ralles was entrusted to experenced TV drectors. TV was engaged professonally as a new tool for poltcal campagns. It should be ponted out that durng ths perod only publc servce televson was avalable, and the concern that t was somehow patronzed by the government party moderatng the freedom of speech. Durng ths perod, though, poltcans used the meda and not vce versa, as was to happen subsequently. TV was n the servce of poltcs and was the medum whch offered a new, broad publczaton of poltcs, yet ts effects were stll controllable by poltcs. The poltczaton of the meda was underway. To ths end, the meda was prmary nvolved n the communcatve dmenson of poltcs wthout nterferng n nternal processes such as party poltcs. Ths new poltcal medum seemed very pervasve and effectve n nfluencng the electoral behavor of ctzens not yet suspcous of meda technques and meda logc, and who accepted the realty of TV representatons more easly. b) 1987-1996. Lberalzaton of the meda. The era of de-regulaton After the ncreasng explotaton of TV throughout two electoral perods (1981 and 1985), the necessty for the lberalzaton of telecommuncatons
62 Anastasa Delgaour arose as the nevtable result of the contnuous democratzaton of poltcal lfe n Greece, whch had begun followng the Rensttuton of Democracy n 1974. Poltcal democracy had thus entered a more mature phase and had brought wth t hgher expectatons. Publc servce broadcastng was perceved as an embracement, a barrer to the freedom of speech, and t was antcpated that the state broadcastng monopoly would become an obstacle to poltcal freedom. It was obvous that the stuaton n Greece was ncompatble wth the nternatonal poltcal communcaton scene and wth professonally conducted electoral campagns. Broader poltcal changes outsde Greece also boosted developments (Kotzavazoglou & Zotos, 2006: 1-2). In Greek meda democracy, the frst efforts towards free televson took place n 1987 as the result of a contnuous struggle and poltcal contradcton between the governng socalst party at that tme (PASOK) and the major lberal poltcal party (ND) n opposton. The core argument of the poltcal contradcton was the pressure appled by ND for the need to lberate freedom of speech and to abolsh the state monopoly n the area of telecommuncatons. In 1989, the frst muncpal televson channel (TV-100 n Thessalonk) commenced broadcastng n Northern Greece (see also Papathanasopulos, 2005:286-287). Dramatc changes then followed n the new lberalzed meda, whle the legal status of the prvate meda was stll dubous and thus obscure. The role of the meda changed steadly towards more actve and aggressve ways to publcse poltcs. In ths ntal stage, the dea of a symboss between the meda and poltcs wth no serous mplcatons was not strongly contested. Gradually, the meda ganed ther party wth poltcs as decsve factors n poltcal lfe. Durng the perod n queston, Greek socety had to antcpate two parallel and opposng phenomena: Frst, the sudden deregulaton of the meda that led to the pluralsm of TV channels but wth an uncertan legal status. Second, the rsng, and sometmes annoyng, nterference of the meda n poltcal procedures gave cause for concern regardng the senstve lne between the postve effects of deregulaton on the freedom of speech and the negatve effects t could have on the organzaton of poltcal lfe. Surveys of meda spectatorshp revealed that ctzens reled on TV channels for ther poltcal nformaton. Moreover, the electons of Aprl 1990 were the frst electons that were conducted wth the presence of prvate TV channels that were tryng to gan a foothold n telecommuncatons at a crucal moment n Greek poltcs
Innovatons In Greek Poltcal Communcaton And Consequences 63 that sought for stablty and normalzaton. The struggle between the new lberal regme n meda communcatons and memores of former safe publc servce broadcastng stll haunted a Greek socety tryng to mantan a balance between nternatonal communcaton trends and the new, rapd changes n domestc communcatve ethos. The poston of prvate meda corporatons was stll uncertan as was ther legal status. It can also be deduced from the newspaper artcles, especally durng the 1993 electons, that there was a shft n nterest n poltcal communcaton towards methods other than poltcal ralles. The presentaton of poltcal leaders on TV was commented on adequately, surveys are apprecated for what they reveal about the electorate and the dea of poltcal dalogue on TV s promnent postoned n front-page references. (Papathanasopoulos, 2000a) In ths era, TV was nternalzed n poltcs as an unavodable dmenson and steadly became a manpulatve factor. Commercalzaton and the nvestment of prvate captal n meda corporatons mposed ther own rules and condtons on TV and ncreased the penetratng effect of televson. Ths s the begnnng of the process of modernzaton n Greek poltcal communcaton. c) 1996-2000 The nauguraton of TV as the offcal forum of poltcs. The year 1996 s the startng pont of the offcal televsed perod n Greek Meda Democracy wth the two major poltcal partes n Greece havng recognzed and agreed formally on the mportance of TV n poltcal communcaton and n electon campagns. Ths derves from the fact that they decded to address televson as ther offcal publc forum for poltcal debate. Therefore, M. Evert (ND) and K. Smts (PASOK) began to employ TV as ther man poltcal arena and the frst debate between poltcal leaders n Greece (13-09-1996) appeared on TV screens wth strct rules and very formal procedures. Newspapers devoted numerous artcles to the debate phenomenon and ts Amercan orgns. Presentaton sklls and televsed profles of poltcal leaders (K. Smts- PASOK and M. Evert-ND) were extensvely commented on and ther communcatve ablty, attre and presentaton of ther arguments were analytcally dscussed n artcles (Efthmou, 1996; Pretenders,
64 Anastasa Delgaour 1996) emphaszng the ndsputable realty of the TV screen n revealng the personalty of the leaders. Ths was the frst ntentonal attempt by offcal poltcs to move towards the new era of poltcal communcaton whch has favored, consequently, forms of ndrect medatsed communcaton. The prevous example ndcates that the engagement of the meda n poltcs was not only promoted by the meda themselves, but was also a poltcal decson snce poltcans conscously accepted meda nterference n poltcs. Certanly, ths acceptance dd not mean that poltcs was surrendered uncondtonally to the meda, but what has followed ndcates the weakness of poltcs to resst the communcatve ascendancy of the meda, whch was expandng day-by-day nto all areas of poltcal and socal lfe. Another mportant nnovaton that was frst mplemented durng the 1996 Natonal Electons was ext polls, attractng the nterest of poltcal analysts as a relable method of predctng the result of forthcomng electons (To Vma, Sunday edton, 22-09-1996). The advantages and dsadvantages of ths new method are underlned, and ths s the moment when survey companes and analysts assume a promnent role n the poltcal game. d) 2000-2007: The use of Internet n electon campagns and dsputes The fourth perod dentfed, from 2000 untl 2007, saw the extended use of the Internet n electoral poltcs, whch promsed a shft towards partcpatory poltcs. Frst, PASOK set up a webste n 1996 that remaned nactve untl 1999. Other poltcal partes have also launched ther own webstes that were partly employed n the 2000 electons, but these were stll n ther nfancy. As Kostkopoulou ponts outs: Of almost 35 poltcal partes that partcpated n the natonal electons of 2000, only 16 had some presence on the Internet (2002:197). In these electons, the frst web portals (greekelectons.gr, electons2000.gr, metapols.gr) devoted exclusvely to electons appeared, contrbutng to the new era of e-poltcal contradcton. Dscussons on new Internet Democracy come n the foreground, spreadng a postve feelng about the potental of new meda to promote more drect communcaton wth poltcans. (Lanas, 2000)
Innovatons In Greek Poltcal Communcaton And Consequences 65 Poltcal advertsement s also portrayed more extensvely, whle opnon polls and opnon polls are used to promote poltcal tactcs. Snce poltcal opposton n the 2000 electons was ferce and qute undecded, poltcal partes became engaged n any possble poltcal method to convnce ctzens ( Electons of 2000: Anythng to wn! Makedona 22-03-2000). Subsequently, n certan cases, exaggeraton and negatvty have occurred, turnng poltcal opposton nto an uncontrolled arena. e) 2007 to date. Towards nteractve poltcal communcaton? The ffth perod began n the more recent electons of September 2007. SKAI TV and the popular webste YouTube establshed co-operaton to provde ctzens wth an open forum of communcaton wth poltcans. Wth the am of facltatng democratc dalogue and enhancng the partcpaton of ctzens n the poltcal process, SKAI TV channel - n four dfferent broadcasts under the ttle: SKAI-YouTube Debate: Ctzens Askng Poltcans - posed questons that users of YouTube had uploaded on the You Tube webste. Invted poltcans had to confront and answer these questons followng a very specfc procedure. Ths nnovatve effort of SKAI TV channel was a poneer broadcast n Europe, but was certanly an Amercansed model, followng CNN n the USA, tryng to pursue a new approach towards poltcal communcaton by ncreasng audence partcpaton. Ths s the latest tendency n poltcal communcaton that, although embraced prmarly by younger people, has not really been valued as t mght. The reasons for ths lack of apprecaton and mpact followng all the efforts descrbed above can put down to, frst of all, the natonal tragedy of forest fres n Southern Greece that naturally captured publc nterest and left no space for communcaton tactcs. The other reason s the fact that ths was a relatvely short electoral perod, at the end of summer, suggestng that there was lttle tme for ctzens to react and fully evaluate ths new approach. We also detect that socal meda and Facebook are employed as mportant communcatve tools n poltcal communcaton especally n 2009 natonal electons. It s evdent that the Greek poltcal system has enrched poltcal campagns by takng advantage of new communcatve tools bascally for the purpose of attractng younger ctzens n poltcs.
66 Anastasa Delgaour The ssue s whether ths effort wll set the startng pont for the employment of Internet and the nter-actvty that ths medum offers towards more partcpatory forms of poltcal communcaton. If we wsh to draw some general conclusons from the above analyss, t could be argued that the exploson of prvate-commercal meda n Greece has largely followed the global model. Frst, meda democracy was establshed and developed very rapdly, and only later dd attempt to regulate the new communcatve envronment that emerged. Greek meda democracy was legtmzed retro-actvely. Ths stuaton where de facto legtmzaton has preceded de jure legtmzaton, whch s stll shrouded n doubt, s to be blamed for problems that were created and stll reman unsolved. Progressvely, these problems were exaggerated, assumng dmensons that could have been avoded had legal provdence n collaboraton wth poltcal doughtness nterfered n the early stages of the newly-formed poltcal arena. Some of these problems were confronted by the latest Revson of the Greek Consttuton n 2001 and several amendments and changes n relevant artcles (5A, 9A, 14, 15) were proposed n an effort to provde a more sold bass for meda democracy and ntroduce new rghts nherent n the new regme. Smultaneously, the protecton of nformaton was upgraded to the level of a consttutonal rght and was placed alongsde the already well-known consttutonal rghts. In general, the establshment and evoluton of meda democracy n Greece has followed western models and experences, encompassng at the same tme specfc features of Greek socety and poltcs. Conclusons The ndependence between the felds of meda and poltcs, usng Bourdeu s (1998) theoretcal concepts (also see Couldry, 2003), seems to be negated by meda democracy. Meda democracy, as the unfed term for the descrpton of contemporary democracy, proves the truth of ths argument. Most commonly, the term s used to descrbe the ways n whch the meda has acqured a decsve role n the poltcal process. The concept of medacracy goes one step beyond ths and supports the thess of the meda beng not only a strong nterference n poltcs but also actng as a catalyst n poltcal lfe by nternalzng poltcs n meda logc and regulatons.
Innovatons In Greek Poltcal Communcaton And Consequences 67 Democracy s nowadays necessarly seen through the lens of meda democracy because the meda predomnantly shapes realty and s the basc source of nformaton. Democracy has always been nterwoven wth a communcatve dmenson snce pluralsm and an exchange of deas s a necessary prerequste. We should pnpont though, to avod absolute negatvsm, that the technologcal route to meda democracy - as a procedural and communcatve parameter - was nevtable followng technologcal developments n telecommuncatons. What could have been prevented, wth the assstance of poltcal wll and a legslatve framework, was the full dentfcaton of modern democracy n the terms of medacracy. The fear of the meda jeopardzng the poltcal system and democratc values s always present f the meda and ts publcty s met wth uncondtonal obedence. The Greek case shows, on the other hand, that each socety faces global communcaton trends n ts own way, even f steadly s tendng to nternalze them. Commercal meda was ntroduced suddenly nto Greek poltcs wth no real preparaton, and thus some of ther Amercanzed attrbutes were not easly accepted, and were consdered suspcous for ther nterference n poltcal procedures. Ths confrms our ntal argument and hypothess that each meda democracy, beyond ts smlarty to the Amercan model, should be examned ndvdually. However, characterstcs empowered by the meda, such as the symbolc dmenson of poltcs (Edelman 1985), are present n all meda democraces. If we a general term could be found to descrbe the current condton, t could be argued that we are now n the era of meta democracy and that ths new aspect of democracy under the contemporary rules that govern poltcs, the meda and the publc sphere should be nvestgated. The analyss of the newlyrestructured and modernzed Informatonal State (Braman, 2006) can provde useful nsghts to allow the phenomenon to be understood n ts totalty. Meda democracy s a hstorcal form of democracy that should be addressed under the regulatons of ts producton and consumpton smultaneously, and always n relaton to the modern connotatons and functons of the meda and poltcs. When a specfc socal and poltcal phenomenon emerges, t s because specfc socal condtons have surfaced that are creatng new demands and forms of communcaton. The long-term study of Greek newspapers shows that the meda sphere s steadly absorbng the poltcal sphere. Unfortunately, the new publc space
68 Anastasa Delgaour of poltcs (Ortega, 2004), whch s lterally meda space, does not always comply wth democratc axoms lke transparency, equalty of partcpaton and other ethcal and poltcal ssues. Ths happens partly because t does not acqure the legalty of ts actons through democratc prncples but nstead on commercal and spectacular crtera. The argument that the meda has only altered procedural changes n democracy s not accurate because the qualty of democratc procedures determnes democracy tself. Meda democracy as a term should be approached crtcally, examnng whether the word democracy fulfls ts basc premse. References Bblography-Artcles BENNETT, L. (1999) News. The Poltcs of Illuson, Athens: Dromeas publcatons (n Greek). BOURDIEU, P. (1998) For Televson. Athens: Pataks publcatons, 3 rd edton (n Greek). BRAMAN, S. (2006) Change of State; Informaton, Polcy, and Power, Cambrdge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. DAHLGREN, P. (1995) Televson and the Publc Sphere: Ctzenshp, Democracy and the Meda, London: Sage Publcatons. DELIGIAOURI, Anastasa (2006) Medated Poltcs n Representatve Democratc Regmes: Transformaton of Ideology and Depoltszaton of Voters, IAMCR, Caro, 23-28 July 2006, Conference Proceedngs, pp. 387-392. DEMERTZIS, N. (2002) (ed.) Poltcal Communcaton n Greece, Athens: Papazss publcatons (n Greek). EDELMAN, M. (1985) The Symbolc Uses of Poltcs, Urbana and Chcago: Unversty of Illnos Press. EDELMAN, M. (1997) The Constructon of Poltcal Spectacle, Athens: Papazss publcatons (n Greek). ENTMAN, R. M. (1989) Democracy wthout Ctzens: Meda and the Decay of Amercan Poltcs, New York, Oxford: Oxford Unversty Press.
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70 Anastasa Delgaour SWANSON, D. L & P. MANCINI (eds.) (1996) Poltcs, Meda and Modern Democracy: An Internatonal Study of Innovatons n Electoral Campagnng and Ther Consequences, London: Praeger, Westport, Connectcut. Artcles from (Daly and Weekly-Sunday) Greek Press 1 EFTHIMIOU, P. The gladators and the referee, To Vma Sunday edton, 15-09-1996. Electons of 2000: Struggle of mpressons and negatve advertsements. Anythng to wn!, Makedona, 22-03-2000. In the era of ext polls, To Vma Sunday edton, 22-09-1996. LAINAS, Th. Internet democracy, To Vma, 8-03-2000. METAXAS, A-I. D. Poltcal Marketng, To Vma 9-10-1981. New arrangements are been dscussed for the presentaton of poltcal partes opnons on TV, To Vma, 24-09-1981. Open contradcton for the regulatons on TV. Protest on behalf of ND and KKE, To Vma 2-05-1985. PRETENDERIS, I.K. What have the vewers voted on Frday? To Vma Sunday edton, 15-09-1996. Serous dsagreements have occurred. Inter-party commttee s drven to dssoluton. Strong contradctons of the partes for televson, Makedona, 10-05-1985. Swng voters- for ther sake the televsed festval... To Vma, Sunday edton, 11-10-1981. The schedule; Whch speeches of poltcal leaders wll be broadcasted on TV, Makedona, 20-09-1981. The three nnovatons that make electons of 1981 hstorcal, Makedona, 17-10-1981. 1. Artcles unsgned or wrtten by an unknown author are ordered accordng to ther ttle.