Government called upon to reintroduce press briefings

The government has made it a high priority matter to reintroduce press briefings with journalists, the government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis stated on Monday.

He was responding to a request made by a journalist during a press event titled ‘Protecting Journalists, Protecting Democracy.’

The journalist addressed government spokesman Letymbiotis and said it was important for journalists to have a daily briefing where the press could hold the state to account. He charged this has been absent for a decade and instead politicians go around tv channels to showcase their agendas.

He added this has been a long-standing request by the union of journalists.

Letymbiotis said “we are here to listen to suggestions so that these meetings can be as productive and helpful to journalists as possible.” He countered press briefings were scrapped between 2004 – 2005.

“We want an honest and two-way relationship with journalists.”

The spokesman noted that restoring press briefings was a priority for the government and the details of how this would be done would be thrashed out with journalists themselves.

He highlighted journalists help the government carry out its role, while he also specified there have been journalists that were opposed to the notion of daily press briefings.