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"Although their audiences are still relatively modest, they are playing an increasingly vital role in the conversation," read the New York Times article, describing alternative outlets such as the left-leaning Radio Bubble, an independent radio station/public meeting house, and new investigative journalism publications such as 'Unfollow' and 'The Press Project' which have been critical of the austerity policies of President Antonis Samaras and his ruling coalition government.
From the Times:
Even before the economic crisis hit, polls showed that Greeks lacked trust in the mainstream news media almost as much as they lacked it in politicians, seeing both as intertwined in a kind of crony capitalism that helped push the country to bankruptcy.
Now, four years into the crisis, Greeks are even more skeptical of mainstream news organizations and even hungrier for information from nontraditional sources, especially if it veers from the government's line that Greece has no alternative to the austerity policies demanded by its foreign lenders.
As the profile of this new media landscape shows, one of the silver linings of the painful economic realities of life under austerity has been the degree to which positive forces and alternative models have stepped into the gap created by public cuts and a depressed economy. For some in Greece, these emerging alternatives represent the best source of hope that a nation battered by financial elites is on the path to reclaiming its democracy.
As Apostolis Kaparoudakis, founder of Radio Bubble, declared: "We don't want listeners, we want citizens."
_______________________
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

"Although their audiences are still relatively modest, they are playing an increasingly vital role in the conversation," read the New York Times article, describing alternative outlets such as the left-leaning Radio Bubble, an independent radio station/public meeting house, and new investigative journalism publications such as 'Unfollow' and 'The Press Project' which have been critical of the austerity policies of President Antonis Samaras and his ruling coalition government.
From the Times:
Even before the economic crisis hit, polls showed that Greeks lacked trust in the mainstream news media almost as much as they lacked it in politicians, seeing both as intertwined in a kind of crony capitalism that helped push the country to bankruptcy.
Now, four years into the crisis, Greeks are even more skeptical of mainstream news organizations and even hungrier for information from nontraditional sources, especially if it veers from the government's line that Greece has no alternative to the austerity policies demanded by its foreign lenders.
As the profile of this new media landscape shows, one of the silver linings of the painful economic realities of life under austerity has been the degree to which positive forces and alternative models have stepped into the gap created by public cuts and a depressed economy. For some in Greece, these emerging alternatives represent the best source of hope that a nation battered by financial elites is on the path to reclaiming its democracy.
As Apostolis Kaparoudakis, founder of Radio Bubble, declared: "We don't want listeners, we want citizens."
_______________________
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

"Although their audiences are still relatively modest, they are playing an increasingly vital role in the conversation," read the New York Times article, describing alternative outlets such as the left-leaning Radio Bubble, an independent radio station/public meeting house, and new investigative journalism publications such as 'Unfollow' and 'The Press Project' which have been critical of the austerity policies of President Antonis Samaras and his ruling coalition government.
From the Times:
Even before the economic crisis hit, polls showed that Greeks lacked trust in the mainstream news media almost as much as they lacked it in politicians, seeing both as intertwined in a kind of crony capitalism that helped push the country to bankruptcy.
Now, four years into the crisis, Greeks are even more skeptical of mainstream news organizations and even hungrier for information from nontraditional sources, especially if it veers from the government's line that Greece has no alternative to the austerity policies demanded by its foreign lenders.
As the profile of this new media landscape shows, one of the silver linings of the painful economic realities of life under austerity has been the degree to which positive forces and alternative models have stepped into the gap created by public cuts and a depressed economy. For some in Greece, these emerging alternatives represent the best source of hope that a nation battered by financial elites is on the path to reclaiming its democracy.
As Apostolis Kaparoudakis, founder of Radio Bubble, declared: "We don't want listeners, we want citizens."
_______________________