Best people to follow on Twitter in the run up to the 2015 elections - Greece

On 25th January the Greeks will once go to the polls to elect a new government, if the international media coverage so far is anything to go by the chances are we will see a repeat of the scaremongering news headlines that marked elections in 2012. Once again people who know no more about Greek politics than  you will appear on your screens and in the newspapers passing themselves off as experts. Often they will be doing nothing more than repeating received wisdom handed to them by EU and Greek government officials and their English speaking allies in the domestic press.

To give you a chance of hearing a much wider, not to say better informed range of opinions I have compiled a list of Twitter users who have consistently proven to be reliable sources of English language information about what is happening in Greece. They are an eclectic bunch though most would place themselves on the Left of the political spectrum, a fact neither I nor they hide. Ideology aside, though, they are people whose opinions I trust and who have demonstrated time and time again that they care more about telling the truth than promoting a particular party line.

So, in no particular order, let me present;

Asteris Masouras - The Godfather of  the Greek twittersphere.

Keep Talking Greece - Blogger who runs a website analysing latest Greek stories in English.

Thomais Papaioannou - Greek reporter based in Paris - Writes in Greek, French and English.

Stephanos Livos - Writer. Tweets in Greek and English.

Apostolis Fotiadis - Freelance journalist based in Athens.

Spyros Gkelis - Cyanobacteriologist, university lecturer. Tweets in Greek, English, Spanish, Italian.

Damian Mac Con Uladh - An Athens based Irish journalist.

Albert John - A rogue economist based in Greece.

The Press Project - An independent news outlet providing news and analysis for a global audience,

Vasiliki Siouti - A Greek journalist who writes in Greek and English.

Olivier Drot - Journalist and photographer, Writes in French, Greek and English

Mehran Khalili - Does political communications and photojournalism.

Tsimitakis - Greek journalist who tweets extensively in English

Joanna P - Radio Bubble contributor

Katharine Sarikakis - Professor of Media Governance University of Vienna

Derek Gatopoulos - An AP writer who tweets in English and Greek

Bruno Tersago - News junkie, philhellene, freelance correspondent for Flemish and Dutch media - based in Greece.

ElenaTzouanacou - UK based academic who writes in Greek and English.

Nick Barnets - An Athens based freelancer.

Katja Lihtenvalner - Athens based Slovenian reporters who also tweets in English

Stratos Moraitis - Writes in Greek, English and Turkish.

Yanis Varoufakis - Economics professor now standing as a SYRIZA candidate.

Zoe Mavroudi - Greek director and documentary film maker.

Yiannis Baboulis - Greek journalist based in Athens.

Yiannis Mouzakis - Greek economic analyst - writes in Greek and English.

Theodora Oikonomides - Blogger and contributor to the RadioBubble indie news service.

Last but not least.

Teacher Dude - Blogger and photojournalists based in Thessaloniki, northern Greece

Do not think of this as a definitive list, but rather a first attempt, so I you want to suggest an addition to this list, help me out by posting a comment.

However, the following news organisations are definitely sitting out 2015 on the naughty step. Not because of their political line but rather the long track record of blindly relying on Greek government sources, sloppy fact checking and inability to distance themselves from an official party line. Do not take their reports on Greece at face value, make sure you double check with more reliable sources.

Guardian

Bloomberg

The BBC

The Economist

Kathimerini (Greek daily that has an English language edition)

2012 - SYRIZA is to blame. ΦΤΑΙΕΙ Ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ

2012 - SYRIZA is to blame. ΦΤΑΙΕΙ Ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Forget Mayan predictions for the end of the world, according to much of the Greek mainstream press, the rise of the Radical Left Coalition (or SYRIZA as it is known in Greek) presages the end of western civilisation as we know it.

To listen to some accounts you would think that the country hasn't been in such dire peril since the Visigoths came rampaging down the Balkan peninsula in 378AD.

Foreign reporting has hardly been much better with dire warning that Athens, Europe and in some case even the entire world economy teeters on the brink of collapse, brought there by the possibility of SYRIZA gaining power and keeping their campaign pledge to re-negotiate the terms of the country's bailout pact.

In such an atmosphere of hyperbole and exaggeration the phrase "Ftaiei, o SYRIZA" (SYRIZA is to blame) has become something of a insider's joke for Greek commentators on the internet.

However, behind the humour lies the fact that Greek voters have been subjected to a long and often dirty media campaign to scare them into voting for parties who have promised to abide by the terms set down by the EU and IMF. It is hoped that such fear mongering will bring them back into the fold and reduce support for parties opposed to yet more austerity.

To a certain extent is seems to be working as the conservative New Democracy party has risen in the polls, but also so has SYRIZA, whose dogged determination not to bow to international pressure has won it support from those disgusted with the endless machinations of more mainstream parties.





For those who do not speak Greek, the parody video above shows a wife finding her husband in bed with her best friend. The husband, taken by surprise comes up with a series of lame explanations before hitting upon one that works, "SYRIZA is to blame". She slaps him across the face before accepting his apology.

Aleka Papariga, leader of KKE (Communist Party of Greece) before going on stage to address Greek communist party rally in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Aleka Papariga, leader of KKE (Communist Party of Greece) moments before going on stage to address Greek communist party rally in Thessaloniki, Greece., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Γιώργος Παπανδρέου - Giorgos Papandreou

Γιώργος Παπανδρέου - Giorgos Papandreou, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

With elections just days away the Greece's socialist opposition seems set to take power in the parliamentary elections this Sunday. PASOK leader, Giorgos Papandreaou addressed thousands of party followers in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, promising to bring drastic changes to the way the country is governed.

Although opinion polls have recently been banned by the government in the run up to elections, leaked reports on the internet put the ruling conservative party 7-8% behind their socialist rivals.