Cyprus-Forum.com

[CyprusNewsReport]

Nope, I saw this article posted in CM. There was another article titled "marriages out of wedlock etc" which is a fascinating title. Clicked it but nothing showed.

I mean the concept of marriage out of wedlock is fascinating, you gotta admit.

It's a good one must have been a typing error.

[CyprusNewsReport]

This is not fair, and quite likely libellous. Just because the Cyprus Mail is not slavishly re-printing government propaganda

Would you like to tell us where you think the RoC "slavishly" prints propaganda?

Printing a non-edited direct feed from the government 'news' service is slavish. Quite a few publications (I will name no names, figure it out for yourselves) simply re-print the articles distributed by our national news agency.

80 percent of those articles are promoting the government's official position, and are completely biased! Obviously biased! If you look at how media in other countries handle the government's news feeds, they use them as a source and cite quotations from them. They don't just re-print them as facts and news.

You are accusing the government of releasing propaganda in the guise of direct feeds.

That's their job. To publicise their positions, to talk about the president's latest award, and tell us when ministers are travelling here and there.

But it's the journalists' job to sift out the facts or statements from the government's news feeds and use them to inform their own articles. If a publication reprints the government's news feeds, it should state clearly what the source is so that readers know where it's coming from.

[CyprusNewsReport]

The Cyprus media is controlled mostly by powerful financial groups who are opposed to the idea of of a federal solution and this is often reflected in their coverage of political events,especially when writing about anything to do with Turkey and the T.C's who are nearly always portrayed negatively.Virtually all the t.v. stations,(with the possible exception of RIK 1 which has recently begun covering sensitive issues connected with the history of Cyprus that were previously avoided,Irini Charalambidous programme on Monday evenings being a good example and some quite revealing programmes by Soulla Hadjikyriacou) do not usually promote the idea of co-existence and tend to encourage pessimism about the prospects of a solution.The Greek language Cypriot dailies,except Politis and sometimes Alithia follow a similar line,with the largest circulating Phileleftheros,owned by the Pattichis group who are known DIKO supporters and also now have ownership of the Cyprus Weekly.This was evident in the coverage of last Wednesdays negotiations on the property issue where all the negative points of the T.C. proposals were made headlines,rather than presenting an in-depth and more balanced view of both sides initial negotiating ideas,which is what they were and not final positions!A clearly set-out description was given in yesterdays Politis,which can be read on line and it is worth noting that for the first time Turkey offers to undertake to pay compensation 'within a short period of time' to those G.C's who will not have their properties returned as part of the territorial adjustments.....surely a massive improvement on the Annan Plan provisions?Although they also demand a ceiling on the number of Greek-Cypriots who will be able to live in the area they will retain to ensure ' bizonality' this is not impractical ,bearing in mind that very few G.C's would opt to return under T.C. control anway and would choose to accept compensation instead,with the possible exception of a limited number of elderly people?Bearing in mind that Christophias has demanded the territorial adjustments should allow around 100.000 G.C's to get back their properties and be under the control of their own adminstration this is approximately similar to the Annan Plans proposals,which the other side have already accepted.
When seen from an unbiased viewpoint,the two sides initial positions leave room for negotiation and surely it would be better to encourage people to see this,rather than the message put over last week?
At the end of the day there is also the question of whether non-refugees should have the right to vote in a referendum on whether or not people from the north should get their properties back or be compensated,especially with the cynicism and negativity which most of the media here have been cultivating for far too long!
The truth is that most of the economic and political elite which controls the G.C's do not want a solution,especially one that will involve sharing power with the T.C's because they consider it is against their interests.Manipulating public opinion to ensure another 'no' vote will become their priority as the final deadline for a solution draws nearer,even if this means partition!!
And this is what Christophias and other supporters of a solution need to beware of as a matter of urgency!
Opposing the corrupt and self-serving establishment here is what the Cyprus Mail often dares to do so good luck to them-if only they published in Greek too!

Big thumbs up to you cymart. Journalists should never be lobbyists unless they declare a clear interest beforehand, or call their articles opinion pieces. The most valuable asset a journalist has is his or her integrity. As media consumers become more sophisticated, they will start seeing through the current manipulation and will start demanding integrity, accuracy and balance from their journalists - as they have started to demand from the government and businesses.

If a journalist says that they have inside information on reunification proposals, the audience has the right to know their source. Not the name, but the origin of the information. Last week's 'reporting' on various proposals had an important element missing - the sources! Apparently the reporters had developed extra sensory perception and read the minds of the negotiators...because there was precious little in the way of citations.

So that makes this kind of reporting just sheer speculation and lobbying.

This journalist could not agree more. Sourceless reports are worthless reports. Sadly, much of this distortion has historically been taken as fact in Cyprus, along with many other democracies.

The news feeds are always completely one-sided, and invariably only from the government's perspective. Basically, they are press releases, not news, and should be treated as such.

[CyprusNewsReport]

This is not fair, and quite likely libellous. Just because the Cyprus Mail is not slavishly re-printing government propaganda

Would you like to tell us where you think the RoC "slavishly" prints propaganda?

Printing a non-edited direct feed from the government 'news' service is slavish. Quite a few publications (I will name no names, figure it out for yourselves) simply re-print the articles distributed by our national news agency.

80 percent of those articles are promoting the government's official position, and are completely biased! Obviously biased! If you look at how media in other countries handle the government's news feeds, they use them as a source and cite quotations from them. They don't just re-print them as facts and news.

You are accusing the government of releasing propaganda in the guise of direct feeds.

Surely not, our Governments would never do anything like that!

This administration is nowhere near as bad as the last one. They publish quite low-key stuff compared to the articles we used to be treated to during Papadopoulos' admin. There was lots of fire-breathing during the DIKO days

[EricSeans]

This is not fair, and quite likely libellous. Just because the Cyprus Mail is not slavishly re-printing government propaganda

Would you like to tell us where you think the RoC "slavishly" prints propaganda?

At the PIO for a start seeing as their jobs depend on it. But I guess we could include CNA as well.

[CyprusNewsReport]

This is not fair, and quite likely libellous. Just because the Cyprus Mail is not slavishly re-printing government propaganda

Would you like to tell us where you think the RoC "slavishly" prints propaganda?

At the PIO for a start seeing as their jobs depend on it. But I guess we could include CNA as well.

Exactly E! So journalists have to factor that in - they are trying to please their political masters, and who can blame them for that? Fair enough, it's their jobs and their livelihood to present the government in the best possible light. I don't have an argument with that at all.

It is up to the journalists to take out the bias and get back to the facts.

Interestingly enough, in such a ethnically-polarised society, that is extremely difficult to do.

[Bananiot]

Just watch the journalists when they interview politicians. Whatever the politician says, the hapless journalist replies with a "malista", a far cry from David Frost, but this is our Banana Republic, where, according to bash patriot GR, when one works in a government job, this person must not have a personal view but he can only tow the government line on anything. Yet, he has the cheek to accuse a paper such as the Cyprus Mail, perhaps the only beacon of light that is left.

[B25]

Just watch the journalists when they interview politicians. Whatever the politician says, the hapless journalist replies with a "malista", a far cry from David Frost, but this is our Banana Republic, where, according to bash patriot GR, when one works in a government job, this person must not have a personal view but he can only tow the government line on anything. Yet, he has the cheek to accuse a paper such as the Cyprus Mail, perhaps the only beacon of light that is left.

Banana, answer me just one simple question if you would.

Where does your blind hatred for anything GC come from.

This I would truely like to know. You hatred knows no bounds in putting us down on every matter, no appreciation of the GC sides concerns, yet you claim to be a GC. perhaps you are ashamed to be??? In which case why not just change to Turkish? At least this way we know which direction to point the gun.

Cheers, i wait your reply.

[Bananiot]

Funny, but I thought it is you who hate the GC's. But I give you this, five lines and not a single foul word!

Let me be Christ and answer you with a parabole. Once, many moons ago, at university, we had a student from Paphos who was about 50 years old. There was also another mature student, a 70 year old Jewish lady named Ruth. We were talking quitely one morning, when a loud mouth GC (like your self) came to join us, and Demetris the Paphian introduced him to the elderly student. The GC immediately asked the lady "at your age and you are a student"? He got a paid answer "only donkeys stop learning". He turned round and left.

Demetris, asked the old lady, where is he from?

He is an Arab, Demertis answer.

Now do you get it B25?

[insan]

Just watch the journalists when they interview politicians. Whatever the politician says, the hapless journalist replies with a "malista", a far cry from David Frost, but this is our Banana Republic, where, according to bash patriot GR, when one works in a government job, this person must not have a personal view but he can only tow the government line on anything. Yet, he has the cheek to accuse a paper such as the Cyprus Mail, perhaps the only beacon of light that is left.

Banana, answer me just one simple question if you would.

Where does your blind hatred for anything GC come from.

This I would truely like to know. You hatred knows no bounds in putting us down on every matter, no appreciation of the GC sides concerns, yet you claim to be a GC. perhaps you are ashamed to be??? In which case why not just change to Turkish? At least this way we know which direction to point the gun.

Cheers, i wait your reply.

I bet Bananiot have more GC and Greek friends than a psychopat like you have!