The coverage of Greece is not accurate in the USA because I keep getting panicked calls from USA wanting to know if we're ok. Here are a few of the issues that keep coming up that I end up having to clarify.

1. There are no riots in Greece, worker strikes are not riots. (First the media showed close ups of a few vandals and used old clips, always close ups, not showing the regular people in the streets. The 15 people of the group that threw Molotov cocktails were undersurvellience. Like in the USA there is an unfortunate stretch of the idea of "freedom of speech" so in the USA people carry weapons, in Greece during the strikes those questionable young adults (and immature and spoiled) were allowed to carry backpacks filled with items.)

2. Greece did not approach China for help.

3. Greece did not ask for a bailout. (Greece has taken loans, which are being repaid-an opportunity for vulture capitalists if not repaid-btw the same entities who gave loan 6 years ago have been betting on the failure of Greece and manipulating the stock market to this end.)

4. The historical background and the reality are not reported.

 5. The austerity measure already taken and adding money to the coffers are already showing a positive result. (although a shock to ppl who are paying back taxes sometimes most are paying them.)

6. the best part of the austerity measures are the inclusion of Fairness and Transparency.

7. People are really upset that the rich are still finding ways to NOT pay they're fair share and would also like the Church to pay its fair share. (Now the government is openly pursuing the rich whose lifestyle and landholdings do not match their income tax forms from past years.)

(Originally posted March, 2010 on Facebook page of "The Listening Post" a program reporting on media .  Their programs are also posted on YouTube.)

"Greek style bankruptcy" is used to describe years of decline in other countries with much different problems then Greece. In Spain, Portugal, Italy and the UK the debt problems are based on different problems.  Even Germany is not immune from financial problems nor from large and influential corruption scandals.

 "Contagion" used to describe problems other countries have had for years, contagion implies that "debt economy" is a germ caught from Greece.  Hard to imagine how problems that have been evident and discussed for years can suddenly "be caught like a virus" from another country.

Misleading reporting and as usual, Greece, the whipping post.

Greece is perceived as a socialist government although the economy is firmly founded in capitalism. By "accusing" Greece as being socialistic (which for illogical reasons is supposed to be an insult) seems to give permission to infer negative descriptive phrases about Greece.

(originally posted on Facebook page of "The Listening Post" a program reporting on media May, 2010.  Their programs are also posted on YouTube.)

 I'll post some videos and write some more about this later in the week.

Thanks for your interest!