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John Psaropoulos - Athens News

"Newspaper sales have declined by about 50% in Greece since the mid-1980s, and total fewer than half a million copies a day.".

John Psaropoulos
John Psaropoulos joined the Athens News as Associate Editor in 1999, taking over as Editor in 2000. He is currently also an accredited correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR) and CNN in Greece.

He worked at CNN central studios in Atlanta for 5 years (1994-1999) joining as an entry-level video journalist and reaching the rank of Associate Producer and Tapes Producer.

John Psaropoulos began his career in journalism as a freelance correspondent for The European (1992-1994).

The Athens News is Greece's English-language newspaper since 1952. In 2001, after 49 years as a daily, it became a weekly and is published every Friday.

How would you describe the current state of print journalism in your country especially re the growing competition of internet and new media technologies ?

Newspaper sales have declined by about 50% in Greece since the mid-1980s, and total fewer than half a million copies a day. Private television (since 1989) has probably done the greatest damage from among the other media. The internet has not had great success, largely due to the small number of Greek users (est. at 1 million). A few portals (in.gr, flash.gr) which aimed to become market leaders have lost millions of euros and some have closed. Major newspapers post their contents online for free, an indication that they do not feel the number of users is high enough to seriously dent sales. Still, the number of national dailies remains high (20), excluding several business/financial and sport newspapers, and the regional press seems to be thriving.

What is the current status of journalists in your country ? (ie. freelancers, Unions ?)

A high proportion of journalists is enrolled in unions, which often offer better healthcare and pensions than the state. Virtually all journalists follow union strike decisions and other action, since even the non-enrolled hope to become members. Yet salaries are relatively low, with many journalists freelancing to make ends meet, or holding down two or three jobs. Unions have requested that journalists hold no more than two jobs, in order to spread employment more evenly.

What type of echange (if any) do you have with foreign newspapers ?

We have a syndication agreement with the Times and Los Angeles Times which enables us to use some of their material. Athens News stories are routinely requested by English language textbook publishers, web sites and online databases (Reuters, SIRS Publishing and others), and Greek-American media.

Do journalists in Greece encounter any particular problems in the course of their work (lawfull or otherwise).

Athens News journalists have not encountered illegal obstruction to their investigations, and we have not heard of other such cases. But investigative journalism in Greece is not widespread, so the opportunities for obstruction are few.

What is the work market for journalists like ? Is it easy for young journalists to find a job ?

The market is tough for the young, despite the high number of newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations for a country of 11 million. 28 percent of those aged 15-24 are unemployed according to 2001 figures. In journalism the proportion is probably even higher. An average journalist's salary is about 1100 euros a month gross, which shows that it's an employers' market. Many journalism graduates work for free for a year before being hired, and increasingly look for summer internships.