The public broadcaster should be a flexible and effective organisation responding to the challenges and the needs of the modern era, President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades has said, addressing a ceremony for the first awards to former personalities of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CYBC).
“It our duty to render the public broadcaster and television as a flexible and effective organisation, one which would meet to the needs and challenges of the modern era, an organisation which would function to the benefit of its employees and of the citizens,” Anastasiades said, adding “this is our demand and aspiration for the CYBC and our common efforts move towards that end.”
The President noted that the CYBC is acknowledged as the organisation for registering, projecting and safeguarding events that sealed Cyprus’ historical, social and cultural course as well as significant international events.
He added that the mission of the state broadcaster warrants objective and valid information free from any interventions or any exclusions with full respect to the independence for the journalists and respect to any views, positions and critique made in good faith.
The President furthermore noted that the media and journalists create trends and standards and therefore should maintain a balanced approach, leaving citizens to make their own conclusions, through correct information and recording all views.
“If there is something to feel proud of is that after ten years in the country’s administration there is no one either in the CYBC or any other media who could claim there was an intervention in the way that news and comments, or a critique, however strict it may have been, should be published,” Anastasiades said, adding “the freedom of the press and the media is the backbone of every democracy.”
“And I have my own respect and honour towards accomplished journalists who either are judging or criticising me, even when they do not do me justice. They have every right to do so and the citizens of course have the judgement to decide,” he said.
Source: Cyprus News Agency