Closing Speech of the Minister of State Theodoros Roussopoulos
Athens, 19th June 2007
I have in front of me the book published last year for the 1st International Conference on “Disabilities and MASS MEDIA”, which took place June 18-19, 2006; on its last pages is a list of the seven commitments I undertook before you, to which I will briefly refer:
1st commitment: To organize the 2nd International Conference the following June.
The 2nd International Conference on the subject of “People with Disabilities and MASS MEDIA” has already taken place. At this point, I would like to note that in order to achieve specific goals, it is preferable to set specific goals rather than to broaden debate in every field. We have a habit in our country of dealing with one too many issues, establishing committees and finally missing the main target. What I would like is this single main target to be “MASS MEDIA & People with Disabilities”.
2nd commitment: To organize a Documentary Festival.
It has already been organized and has turned out to be a success, with 350 participations from all over the world.
3rd commitment: To conduct a public opinion survey by the Hellenic Audiovisual Institute (I.O.M.), gauging the degree of mass media accessibility to people with disabilities and vice versa.
This survey has been conducted and it was presented here yesterday by the General Director of the Hellenic Audiovisual Institute (IOM), Mr. Rodolphos Moronis.
4th commitment: To upgrade the webpage of the Secretariat General of Communication - Secretariat General of Information.
The webpage of the Secretariat General of Communication and Information is a fully talking webpage, therefore completely accessible to people with disabilities. Furthermore, linked to this webpage, is the first special webpage on issues relating to people with disabilities.
5th commitment: To publish a yearbook including all events of the previous year in the Braille system.
This yearbook has already been published.
6th commitment: To publish, as in other countries, a guidebook for journalists on correct terminology when referring to issues related to disability.
This guidebook has already been published and I would like to thank all those who contributed.
7th commitment: To organize a “telemarathon” in the course of 2006, following consultation with the President of ERT S.A. - and on this issue we have contradictory views. Allow me to exrpess my point of view on the subject: a “telemarathon” is like any other tool, which can be used in every way, either for the right purpose with good results, or in the wrong way. We should not blame the tool, if certain television channels use telemarathons to provoke pity. In any case, this was not and will not be the aim of ERT S.A.
Why I read the seven commitments which have been fulfilled? Because I insist on setting specific goals, even if they are considered unimportant, and then achieve them. As a politician I believe that if you can not make a leap forward you should not promise it because it will not be carried out. Try to make steps. If you turn and look behind, after having make small steps, you will see that you have made a leap.
The commitments for the next year, in order to keep up with what I said before, are the following:
1st commitment: The 3rd congress which will be organized by the Secretariat General of Communication- Secretariat General of Information, next year, will be more focused on a target. I also heard the president of the congress Mr Nikos Voulgaropoulos, and other sreakers, talking about a more targeted and technocratical way of approach. This requires too much work, so that we will be able to broaden the subjects and keep them in the direction of the accessibility of people with disabilities and vice versa.
2nd commitmemt: To establish the Internanional Festival of Documentary Films. In order to be established, the people who already worked, need to work again with the same zeal and even more. It is required to organize also some parallel activities, so that we make it widely known. I have ne complaints..The 350 participations from all around the world indicate that it was a very good step.
3rd commitment: As I said yesterday at the end of the festival and before the award of prizes , the public channel (ERT), apart from “Prisma ..”, will broadcast not only the awarded documentaties but also many of the others on analogic channels, ET1 or NET. I already have the engagement of the President of ERT Mr. Panagopoulos.
I remark for those who were not present yesterday that we should mention some good things that have been done. And I shall refer to ERT: Three thousand hours of programme on “Prisma..”, 1.800 hours tranlated in sign language, 1900 hours with choice of subtitles through teletext, during the last 14 months.
Largely we won the bet regarding the accessibility, on “Prisma…”. Not on the entire public television not –unfortunatelly- on private channels.
Fourth commitment: I heard about the idea of establishing an observatory of Mass Media for issues concerning Disability and Mass Media. I disagree. The more committees we form, while we create the disillusion that we search through the issue, the more we miss the target. Allow me to do the following thing with my partners, which I think will come to a result. The Hellenic Audiovisual Institute (IOM) has already presented a survey – I referred to mr. Moronis previously – about the accessibility of people with disabilities. Let’s continue this survey once or twice a year, if things improve, and let the IOM - as Mr.Moronis recommended - carry out the seminars for film directors, authors of TV productions, technical experts for audio description.
Fifth commitment: in a few days the new draft of law about the granting of licenses and the concentration in the field of mass media will be presented to the Parliament A provision, which gives prior in getting a license to the TV channels that include in their programs the accessibility of people with disabilities , will also be comprehended.
Sixth commitment: perhaps some of you already know that the Secretariat General of Communication – Secretariat General of Information have established a prize for audiovisual works that refer to children. We should also add to this a prize that will be awarded to audiovisual means for children related to Disability. Moreover, those films will be broadcast on public television (ΕΡΤ) – according to a commitment of ΕΡΤ’s president.
Seventh commitment: the publications of the Secretariat General of Communication / Secretariat General of Information – and I remain to number seven for this year as well, perhaps because it was a lucky one last year. This is about the yearbook containing the events in the Braille system that was published last year and will be published annually. It is the book “Leaves of Ecology”, published in the Braille system as well, a new edition that you have in your hands, redacted by Mrs Maria Economou and relevant to the stigma of mental disease. We are going to continue – this is a commitment- those publications, either printed in paper or in an e- form at the website of the Secretariat General of Communication / Secretariat General of Information.
I heard with great interest what mr. Kouzelis said about cooperating with selected agents in order to create a model of idea diffusion. I’ d like to tell you, mr Kouzelis, that I have a slight reservation: whereas I absolutely agree with you that this kind of diffusion should take place in the mass media, for which I am responsible as a Minister, I wish to retain that responsibility. That is to say, we should try, after forming a group of people that will work towards the directions you proposed, to diffuse those ideas, send them to the local communities, not through the municipalities – I don’t underestimate that, it is very important, but I will stay loyal to the framework of my competence as a Minister responsible for mass media. Hence, we will go to the regional TV channels, to the regional radio stations and newspapers and we will work with people that we know and they know us – they know the executives of the Secretariat General of Communication / Secretariat General of Information – in a try to pass on any ideas, any documentaries, any texts, so that the local community in every corner of Greece will be able to learn some things from what had been discussed here and will be discussed next year.
This was the seventh commitment, but in fact, it is a personal commitment. I would like it to be a little different. It is about a commitment that has nothing to do with the person that you have in front of you this moment, but it has to do with every minister responsible of Mass Media who possesses this post. It is an effort to put a basis – and I belive that in a way this basis has been put – so irregardless persons, the institutions, the activities, the operations could go ahead, could fly like a pigeon which some of you saw in Ilion children’s documentary, and could have their own flight into space and into time with no dependence on specific ministers or not. This is what I will try to implement with the employees of the Sectetariats General of Communication and Information, with General Secretaty Mss Papada. All these have embraced it as a very personal issue, so as – I repeat – the initiatives will be put into effect, irregardless who is the minister in this post, which in this moment I possess.
I understand that in the first commitment, this of the organisation of a most specific congress next year, there is a need to intensify – Mr. Alexiou had mentioned it last year, but it wasn’t realized this year, as Mr. Kolatos said earlier – the issue which is related to a large number of our fellow-citizens: The autistic people. And now we need your help. I haven’t got to say much more. I believe that the real work appears in small things. I think that the role of a politician finishes when he puts into effect an idea which someone heard an afternoon in an office. He has to create the conditions, to open the way in order that this idea is promoted by itself. Last year, I wished for the time to come soon when congresses, documentary festivals, special channels for the people with disabilities are not needed, because all these come in contrast with what you discuss and what you think: The equality. That is because, if equality actually existed in society, there wouldn’t be any meetings, congresses or festivals of such kind. They would be considered evident and sound. Let me wish the same for this year as well. I know that it won’t happen until next year, perhaps not even in ten years time. But it is important the fact that some of us are beginning to concentrate around an idea which promotes the accessibility of people with disabilities to the mass media and vice versa, which, as you know, is more difficult.
There were some journalists here those days that attended either the festival or the congress. Last year there were less but next year they are going to be more. We must gain over these people, they should come closer to us, not through the logic of compassion that most of them used to have – and I am talking from the point of personal experience as a journalist, because I had also learnt to deal in this way with the issue of people with disability – but through the logic of the citizen that brings into effect the constitutional order of behaving equally towards all the other citizens.
Thank you for being here with us. Thank you for having embraced this effort. It is not up to me any more but up to you all, to continue the effort in the best possible way.
Thank you