Greece Paid Journalists $130 Million to promote "greekness of Macedonia"

[TrueMacedonian]

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/10962/2/

Greece Paid Journalists $130 Million to promote "greekness of Macedonia"

Tuesday, 15 December 2009

During 1989 to 1993 from secret funds of the Greek Foreign Ministry headed by Andonis Samaras, Greek journalists received $130 million dollars (US) to promote the "greekness of Macedonia"!

Although these funds were originally intended for external promotion (read disinformation), they, according to the testimony of former Prime Minister Constantinos Mitsotakis, ended up in pockets of Greek journalists.

- All of the funds were in black plastic bags, like those black trash bags you see, filled only with 5,000 bank notes. There were never checks, it was always cash. The money was mainly for propaganda over Macedonia's name, but instead going abroad, this propaganda was directed towards the inside, our country - says Mitsotakis in front of a commission tried to clarify the case.
The payment of huge lump sums coincided with the independence of Macedonia and the strengthening of internal propaganda and the macedoniazation in Greece.

This scandal, which was first actualized by Athens based Eleftherotypia was burried in 1994 though it re-emerged once again after Andonis Samaras was elected as leader of New Democracy, which suffered a defeat by PASOK in the fall elections.
Samaras had been dismissed in 1992 as a Foreign Minister by then-Prime Minister Mitsotakis, who, like Papandreou has now himself assumed the foreign ministry.

The investigation was completed without conclusions. These secret payments were investigated by Mitsotakis’ successor, the Greek Foreign Ministry, Government and current president Karolos Papoulias. The Greek Government issued no information and closed the investigation in the name of "higher national interests".

The dilemma whether the Greek Government bribed journalists as well as publishers across the country to write material that would promote Athens’ agenda hangs in the air.
Andonis Samaras publicly acknowledged large amounts of money were paid to publishers, journalists, even local officials, adding all money were used for “national useful purposes”.

It is indicative that all documents were destroyed prior to Mitsotakis’ takeover of Greece’s FM from Samaras - on April 13, 1993. Samaras himself attested that the documents were destroyed on March 17 that year. The only thing left are the total amounts and recorded statements - the money were distributed by (Manolis Kalamidas close to Samaras and Dimitris Avramopoulos, a man of trust to Mitsotakis).

The scandal itself surfaced following the collapse of the Mitsotakis government in October 10, 1993. To make things more interesting, the Foreign Minister of the new government of PASOK - after Mitsotakis and Samaras - was none other than the current present President of Greece Karolos Papoulias!
Papoulias engaged a United States attorney, former judge, who practically discovered the secret funds. The investigation never revealed the names of journalists and news organizations that were at the receiving end of these payouts.

According to documents from the investigation on March 10, 1994 Mitsotakis before the Commission confirmed that there were secret funds from the MFA, adding funds also became available from banks and other large companies. Since taking office, Mitsotakis described the situation in the MFA as "bad" adding “presently we have only 40-48 million drachmas (220 thousand dollars), while large sums of money are directed to unknown persons without the appropriate paperwork”.
Mitsotakis explained the funds were distributed by the Minister, and controlled by three member commission appointed by the Minister. All documents, if any, were destroyed twice annually.


The former Greek prime minister asked Samaras to explain where the money went. Samaras never provided a concise answer, saying the money were spent on “Advertisement”.

Mitsotakis testified that he "personally knows journalists who received cash from the Government”. On the question to further explain how this was done, Mitsotakis provided further details: "There were bags of money. They were in black plastic bags, like those used in trash bins. Filled with 5,000 bills. All payments were in cash only, no checks. The money was mainly for propaganda over Macedonia's name, but instead of spending the money abroad, the propaganda was aimed inside."

Mitsotakis had knowledge that some of the money were intended for specific journalists to build Samaras’ political image. This current leader of New Democracy, Samaras, on April 21, 1994 before the committee denied that any funds were given to journalists in order to build himself up. Asked where did the huge amounts of unregistered payments gone, he said "all the payments for practical purposes had been placed under item “information”.


In Greece, the law entitles the minister to dispose of secret funds for the costs of "national interest" and how they will use depends on his "patriotism."

For all future 'journalists', move to Greece. They pay good, you never have to write anything, all info comes pre-packaged.

year

planned payment
paid to Journalists ($132m)

1989
$12,2 million
$18 million

1990
$11 million
$11,3 million

1991
$13,8 million
$27,8 million

1992
$22,6 million
$41,1 million

1993
$23,9 million
$34, 4 million

[Risto the Great]

Awesome!
We can now officially say Macedonia helped make Greece the broke little country in the Balkans that it is now. And achieved nothing.

I would reference this article every time we ever publish anything about Macedonia.

In Greece, the law entitles the minister to dispose of secret funds for the costs of "national interest" and how they will use depends on his "patriotism."

Soon they will be financing "fustanella shows" on the Parisian catwalks.

Grow up Greece. The EU is tired of you and your neighbours are tired of you. Move into the 21st century and make a difference in this world. Stop relying on ridiculous claims of connections with antiquity and develop a modern conscience. I remember hearing Dora claim "We created democracy you know" ..... well how about Greece takes a look around and see what everyone else has done with it. Along with other innovations over the last 2000 years.

[Risto the Great]

Here is a reference that should be used next to any assertion by Greeks in relation to the "Greekness of Macedonia".

The Greek claim on Macedonia is based on a tenuous link to the region in antiquity. The Greek Government has secretly bribed numerous journalists and scholars to the tune of $130 million dollars to create a caricature of this connection that heavily favours the Greek agenda. This agenda is based on deceit and is an attempt to justify an illegal invasion and occupation of southern Macedonia. We will place no reliance on any journalist or academic in relation to statements or research made unless they make a statement under oath as to whether any funds were received by them from Greece and or its agents.

[TrueMacedonian]

http://www.athensguide.com/journalists/articles/hack.htm

Hack: The Life of a Journalist in Athens

BY ALEXIA AMVRAZI

JOURNALISTS are scabs, leeches, hounds and foxes! some will spit - er, I mean, protest. They are sometimes known as "hacks", a colourfully descriptive term only a handful in the profession may take pride in, whilst the majority squirm at the mere thought of even being classed alongside it.


In my eyes, hacks are thick-skinned, tough-spirited media maggots (yet sometimes with the stereotypical, proverbial heart of gold, as is Al Pacino's character in the film The Insider). Hacks are often portrayed as greasy, sweaty people with very sharp (read: cunning) minds, who wear shabby clothing and scramble mercilessly through other people's affairs. They seek out hard-core facts and even harder-core fiction, which they then go on to expose to the world in the rawest and loudest of manners (all in the name of legendary objectivity).


artistic freedom


There is a reason why hacks are the way they are, to be sure. But I personally prefer to be called a "journalist", thank you. And when I occasionally reel with shame over what even that classic and open-to-interpretation description means to particular individuals, I narrow it down to "[creative] writer."


Many individuals in this profession also happen to be creative writers, actors, singers, musicians or artists. Maybe this is a positive way to use as well as escape from the often ugly, graphic, shocking neverending news they have to look at and listen to closely in order to transfer it with the world. When one thing makes you numb, you look for something else to stimulate you. Some are very talented in the more creative areas and manage to flourish whilst involved in their "second field" simultaneously.


Others accept or conclude that they don't have sufficient time for an equal commitment to their more artistic skills and place them in the hobby category, but are still reasonably successful.


Others still are simply mediocre, or lousy, in terms of their creative aptness but can't accept it and as a result become embittered wannabes. Perhaps they have never really made the effort to realise their artistic desires (probably because they know they can't) yet cannot quite relinquish their dreamy faux aspirations, and thus make excuses for their lack of full-on commitment to a stimulating artistic career by working in journalism with a vengeance instead, and desperately clinging to, or humiliating, those who have "made it" in their dream-realm instead.


the path less travelled


Some journalists aim to valiantly expose well-researched, weighty issues in order to open the eyes of the wider public to (what is often their perception of) reality.

Others just want to get a free ride, become famous or acquire a taste of the good life that they cannot entirely produce for themselves. In a country like Greece, where political interests are supernaturally intertwined with business affairs (note: Greece's rich guys are in fact the most loaded in the world, after American counterparts), journalists regularly become voluntary pawns for fancy-effect productions that will lull the masses into a false sense of belief of what the unquestionable point of the matter is not.

Those journalists whose professional, morality-founded integrity is quite intact, however, and who get the "perks" of the job without doing anything unprofessional to attract them, but won't refuse them nonetheless, are well aware of the powerful weapon they hold. Wherever they may go, those members of the press who will not be bribed or otherwise corrupted are the scariest kind, because, like coal to a fire, essential new things to criticise, expose and talk about are actively sought out. Apart from being judgemental, they are also human, which means that if they are angered or unsettled by a certain behaviour or situation they won't hesitate to let it be known (as I am not hesitating now).


personal vs public interest


If certain, or most, journalists are of no use to the big cheeses, since just a few, senselessly-well paid, well-disguised hacks will do just fine for that, they try to visit the tropical paradise of their own world in more inventive ways.


Those include: getting freebies, hanging with celebrity "friends" or procuring personal fame.

FREE!bies include visits to places they wouldn't normally be willing or able to afford, or gifts in the form of anything that can be paid for in the way of a clandestinely promotional article.

Celebrity friends include people in the government, actors, directors, other journalists (the subjectively powerful ones with the big cheeses behind them), or good - never said honest - lawyers.


Personal fame comes as a direct result of having celebrity friends, or via The By-Line, participation in fluffy TV chat-shows in which they can look sober and professional whilst climbing on their soap-box, and other media coverage such as the occasional glossy magazine spread under an asinine title.


Why go into all this? Because it has to be said in order to reach my point. Most people of the eyes-wide-open variety are well-aware of all the above-mentioned goings-on, and that is why an irremovable crust of cynicism has been formed around the term "journalist."



not a big deal


That's why it sometimes proves impossible to a journalist to be taken at face-value, and to not be suspected of wanting something in return for basic professional interest and coverage, the credit of which will go to the media organisation to which one belongs.


Unfortunately, when a journalist approaches an individual for an interview here, there sometimes develops a surreal feeling of near-conspiracy. Sometimes you can almost hear the potential interviewee considering the simple request, and chiefly wondering: "What does this person want from me?" Whilst if they agree to be interviewed, one cannot escape the feeling of a weird tacit "deal" being made.


The subject's silent contract with the writer goes something like this: "I will play hard-to-get, OK, then eventually throw an incandescent glance towards you, as if I have suddenly realised that it may indeed be an attractive invitation, regardless of how extraordinarily in-demand I am. I will, however, continue to appear as though I am mulling it over - when I have the time to do so - and then (perhaps) finally accept. You will interview me and throughout I will be sickly-sweet and deceptively down-to-earth towards you, without, of course, neglecting to inconspicuously bring out must-mention examples of my thrilling character and highly enticing career status throughout our stimulating 'conversation'.


"Then you will write and publish your article about me, you lucky, lucky thing, and if I am in the mood to be nice, or simply am not too proud to indicate I have nothing better to do for those one-point-five minutes, I will call you and thank you, perhaps being kind enough to add a few clever nuggets of my constructive criticism on your writing-style/perception of me/ fact-making mission. If I am uncertain whether I want anything more from you or not, I may send you a symbollocks company gift, or serve up the foolish illusion that I've warmed up to you enough for you to happily consider I may be your friend, by inviting you to an event promoting me or even occasionally asking you how you are." The End.



disillusion and absolution


As a journalist, you of course don't mind coming to the astounding realisation that the person you were genuinely interested in covering (and promoting) to the world, because you had considered the cause/work/talent behind him/her highly admirable, is actually an unappreciative, manipulative, arrogant and self-obsessed git, because now that the article on the person has been published you are rich, famous and deeply self-fulfilled. Not. Also, it's a professional matter and not a social one, so why be such an imbecile to expect any inkling of humane appreciation for your efforts?


cheek-to-cheek


"It takes two to tango" is one of the most indicative phrases ever created. It encapsulates the way any journalist looks at the inter-stellar domain. Writers need interesting subjects as much as the interesting subjects need them, but is the wild-goose-chase and its paltry aftermath really necessary?


Journalists don't need to waste their pressed time chasing people as if it were for their personal benefit to eventually reach them. There should be more cooperation. If I'm jerked around by someone I was originally and genuinely drawn to dedicating time and attention-drawing, I will not only lose my enthusiasm and esteem of that person, but will also feel frustrated, disapproving and, well, jerked around. Why should I eventually care to interview that person if and when they agree? There are always plenty more forms of life in the bottomless pit.


Some commissioned writers unfortunately have no choice but to keep going at it and hounding down the individual in question, even if by the time of their eventual appointment/trap they are sweating malediction, not to mention disrespecting the ground way, way, way beneath that they once walked on.


hackers anonymous

Empathise with journalists on the road to hackdom, and appreciate that when they stop washing their hair and caring about their wardrobe, when they begin to attach blush-inducing curses to any given name, and when they make it their sole aim in life to brutally expose "the truth," it is perhaps because they have had their ego badly bruised, their enthusiasm shattered to bits and their idealism ridiculed. And they have nothing to show for it apart from a job-title that generally inspires little more than trepidation, if a little intrigue.


It's a vicious cycle really. And a shame, because the tango is a magnificently intimate, passionate and harmonious dance, if only both partners weren't trying to lead, or stepping callously on each other's toes. A gracious dancing partner, even one every blue moon, can be an unforgettable pleasure, and often the prime reason to keep one going in the quest for the next similar hexing-fix.


A genuinely talented and skilled partner can swirl you and twist you in a fantastically effortless way, and you can do the same to them, feeling like you're flying through a fresh breeze of summer flowers. Above all, you can come away certain that not only was your initial choice right, but that you've both done your best to make the effort appeal to the world, and not only appear, but actually have been, perfectly magical and incontestable in its result.

[TrueMacedonian]

Here is a reference that should be used next to any assertion by Greeks in relation to the "Greekness of Macedonia".

That's a good one RTG. This one in my opinion takes the cake;

In Greece, the law entitles the minister to dispose of secret funds for the costs of "national interest" and how they will use depends on his "patriotism."

For all future 'journalists', move to Greece. They pay good, you never have to write anything, all info comes pre-packaged.

[Brygian Seed]

Nice! So considering the money handling capabilities of Athens, the funds were EU money. I wonder if 'they' will every investigate the hundreds of millions spend external on disinformation against the Macedonians, again with EU money most likely orignially assigned for hospitals and road works.

[Pelister]

Remarkable stuff.

[Bill77]

well well, acording to many Greeks, the world knows the truth about Macedonia and Greek history. So why then spend millions on promoting something that is alegedly already knowledge? is it fact that the world did know the truth which it oposed Greek lies and brought a sour taste to Greece, which is why they run such propaganda.



Just one last thing, yesturday on CNBC, Greece was labeled and sugested to be known widely around the economic world as the Lehman Brothers of the EU. Is this the begining of the end Just for Greece or the whole of EU?
sory this is for another thread.

[Pelister]

well well, acording to many Greeks, the world knows the truth about Macedonia and Greek history. So why then spend millions on promoting something that is alegedly already knowledge? is it fact that the world did know the truth which it oposed Greek lies and brought a sour taste to Greece, which is why they run such propaganda.

Clearly the Macedonians do exist.

What is driving this State operation is the long term presence of Macedonians, on their traditional lands. If Macedonians did not exit, there would be no need to hide them, deny them, or go to such extraordinary expenses (European taxpayer dollars) to convince everyone outside of Greece it is otherwise.

I mean what we have to remember is this. The new Greeks invaded us in our traditional land, and in our homes. Are we now to be chastised and criticised for asking for our rights on our traditional lands ? Or worse are to avoid even mentioning it, for fear that the Greeks will invade us again ?

[Napoleon]

Sadly, I think this little revelation is the tip of the iceberg as it only concerns bribes paid internally within Greece. What is not mentioned is the money they must have spent bribing overseas scholars, journalists, politicians, and the distribution of propaganda internationally.

For example, who can't remember this vile little bible of anti-Macedonian propaganda that was donated to every council, school and university library in Australia free of charge.



Curiously, I find it ironic that they needed to speed this enormous amount of money to convince their own people of the alleged 'Greekness' of Macedonia.

[Big Bad Sven]

And these idiots tell the whole world that we are obsessed with “Alexander Mania” and are trying to monopolize Alexander and the ancient Macedonians.

What clowns.

I would love to see this story make it to western countries, especially Germany….

[Dimko-piperkata]

Им платиле 130 милиони долари на новинари за македонизација на Грција

http://www.novamakedonija.com.mk/NewsDetal.asp?vest=121591025403&id=9&setIzdanie=21862

[Dimko-piperkata]

YouTube - Greece Paid Journalists $130 Million to promote fake "Greekness of Macedonia"