The President of the Republic, Nikos Anastasiadis, announced on Monday night a bill for the establishment of the journalistic profession, which will be ready in the first months of 2018, as well as a plan to strengthen the print media.
In his speech at the awarding of the journalism awards of the Institute of Mass Media (IMME) for 2017, President Anastasiadis stressed that journalists must be strict and fair with the facts.
He noted that he never gave the impression that the press is an enemy of the people, like US President Donald Trump, no matter how much he is judged and criticized.
Noting the great effort required for a journalist to be reliable and as objective as possible, President Anastasiadis added that he considers valuable initiatives such as that of IMME, which is associated with the University of Nicosia.
He referred to the honorees, congratulating them on their contribution to upgrading the role of journalism and adding prestige to the function, he said.
President Anastasiadis noted that journalists and politicians must manage public discourse with respect for citizens and the level of democracy they must serve and upgrade.
He expressed the view that media should do what their name says, that is, to inform correctly, validly and accurately, to the extent that they are given access to the information.
"In our country," he said, "many, driven by selfish perceptions of things, consider that what is occasionally consistent with what they perceive as a national interest, party or even personal interest, is also right."
The President of the Republic further noted that the means used to achieve the goals are also revealing of how power is exercised, if and when it is secured.
"We are witnessing election campaigns that have a completely negative character, nullify the offer of others and try to nullify personalities and focus on the small in order to cover the big picture we have to give to the citizens," said the President of the Republic.
He went on to say that, with the exception of some newspapers that are expressive organs of parties, the objectivity of the media in Cyprus is offered.
The President of the Republic drew the attention of the journalists so that they do not get carried away by the current of devaluation followed by the politicians, as he said. He noted that "the more we, the discredited, influence you and follow the steps or justify ourselves, the more you will be devalued".
Mr. Anastasiadis also said that what must be protected is the credibility gained through objectivity, adding that citizens seek the truth and the truth must be sought and revealed by politicians and journalists.
"I would like to warmly congratulate the University of Nicosia and in particular the Institute of Mass Media for the truly commendable initiative with which the important journalists are highlighted and honored every year," he continued.
The institutionalized award of total offer "Theodoulos F Konstantinidis" was received by the President of the Republic the cartoonist - cartoonist George Mavrogenis.
"Anna Andreou, Katia Christodoulou and Costas Nanos were honored with journalistic offer awards".
Communication sponsors of the awards ceremony were KYPE, RIK and the newspaper Politis
The beginning of the event was announced by the Director of IMME, George Pavlidis.
In his greeting, the Founding President of the Council of the University of Nicosia and Chairman of the Board of IMME, Nikos Peristianis, noted that in recent years freedom of the media has declined to its lowest point in recent years.
He added that only 13% of people on the planet enjoy a free press. Referring to the freedom of the press in Cyprus, he said that the Republic of Cyprus was ranked 180th out of 30 countries.η ahead of France and the United Kingdom.
For his part, the Chairman of the Board of the Cyprus Writers' Union, George Frangos, noted that the institution of awards gave and received from the journalistic family and congratulated the winners for their contribution in the field of information and journalism.
The Chairman of the Board of the University of Nicosia, which is affiliated with IMME, Nikos Kartakoullis said that the award ceremony was recognized by the society, assured that the University of Nicosia will continue to support the institution.
Source: KYPE