Kapernaros, who represents the accused legal representative of the OSE security company Interstar, made the remarks during an interview on SKAI Radio. Referring to Koutsoyianni’s coverage of the trial concerning the missing videos from the loading of the commercial train involved in the Tempe rail disaster, he accused the journalist of ‘fabricating news’.
According to ESIETHSTE-E, the accusation stemmed from the fact that, in her reporting, the ERT journalist highlighted an incident involving lawyers during the proceedings, rather than focusing on a document submitted to the court by Kapernaros himself.
In its statement, the union said that lawyers, as participants in judicial proceedings, perform their role as they see fit, but stressed that it is unfair and wholly unacceptable to target journalists who carry out their duties with professionalism and ethical responsibility. It described as reprehensible any attempt by participants in a trial to act as ‘editors-in-chief’ by seeking to dictate the content of news coverage in order to serve their defence strategy.
The union called on those involved in judicial proceedings to refrain from making inaccurate claims and defamatory attacks against journalists, stating that the role of the press is to seek out and present the truth with integrity and professional competence.
______________________________________________
Are you seeking news from Greece presented from a progressive, non-mainstream perspective? Subscribe monthly or annually to support TPP International in delivering independent reporting in English. Don’t let Greek progressive voices fade.
Make sure to reference “TPP International” and your order number as the reason for payment.