CNN vs. Al Jazeera: Greece Austerity Debates

           "Anti-austerity protesters confront riot 

        police Friday: Greek leaders have agreed 

        to a new round of unpopular job and spending 

        cuts." Photo:REUTERS/John Kolesidis

What's Going On

CNN & Al Jazeera both covered the recent austerity debates in Greece.  Greece's political leaders have decided to implement further austerity cuts as part of a bailout plan to pay-off a portion of Greece's debt.  With reductions, Greece's economy is still in the red.  Prime Minister Lucas Papademos has stated that if the austerity deal is rejected, then Greece would be bankrupted, resulting in "social chaos."  Pensions, wages, and government spending will be cut in order to finance the bailout deal.  Protesters rallying in front of the Greek Parliament building turned violent on Friday as outraged demonstrators smashed sidewalks and threw Molotov cocktails at police.  Police retaliated with teargas and stun guns. Greek citizens are against more cuts, because of the austerity deal executed in 2010.  Greece's unemployment rate is at an all-time high and still rising.  

           Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos

The Reports

CNN "Clashes erupt as Greek Parliament debates austerity measures."
(1:16)

CNN's Matthew Chance reports from Athens, Greece on the recent events. Chance begins the segment, with the Parliament building in the background, proposing that Greece is at a pivotal moment--the decision to pass additional austerity cuts or face going bankrupt, both of which will result in years of financial difficulties for Greece. Chance says that Papademos solemnly explained to the people of Greece why he stands behind the austerity deal.  CNN then cuts to a video of Papademos, looking very posed behind an official desk, who adds that without this deal, the euro could go bust and Greece would be left vulnerable.  Then CNN cuts to images of union strikers and protesters.  Chance briefly mentions that "police and protesters clashed" on Friday, and without missing a beat continues on to discuss the high unemployment rate.  Chance states that the real problem is that the standard of living is already extremely low for Greece's citizens.  

Al Jazeera "Greece austerity deal hits people hard."
(2:09)
The Al Jazeera segment begins with footage of assumed members of the European Union, European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund shaking hands outside of a building.  A voice narrates that the austerity cuts will mean a reduction "of hundreds of millions of dollars" from pensions.  The narrator explains that the deal has been "held-up" because it was necessary to find additional cuts worth $400 million.  Then it states that although reducing pensions for a second time was considered, the cuts will be made elsewhere.  Meanwhile, the footage pans through the streets of Greece, featuring the homeless, bustling pedestrians, and traffic.  It is explained that 150,000+ jobs in the public sector are likely to disappear in the next four years.  Then it is explained that the people were outraged about the possibility of additional cuts to pensions because pensions now support the retiree, as well as their families.  The segment then cuts to a video of Haralambos Lambrapoulos,an armed forces retiree, and his family, who explain that his pension helps support his children and their families in addition to his own.  The man laments that his son's salary has been cut in half, and it is becoming a necessity for even fully employed individuals to have a supplemental income. He also supports his other son due to public sector job losses in the past years. The narrator says that the Lambrapoulos family are emblematic, because "pensions have become a form of unemployment for the young."  The segment then cuts to union strikers, commenting that in addition to hurting citizens both young and old, there will be political repercussions to passing the deal. Finally, the footage cuts to John Psaropoulos reporting in front of the Parliament building in Athens. He says that the austerity cuts have "pushed a staggering 40% of Greek voters to Communists and other left-wing groups." Psaropoulos speculates that the next Greek election will be unpredictable, and until "voters have a chance to vent their anger at the ballot-box," they must endure the hardships of the austerity cuts--including lay-offs, poverty, and no real hope for progress.

CNN vs. Al Jazeera

What is worth noting about both programs is that CNN features reporter Matthew Chance, while Al Jazeera does not introduce reporter John Psaropoulos until the final bit of the segment. This tactic presents Al Jazeera as an authority on the topic, whereas the CNN report appears to simply be Chance's opinion. And while CNN offers a video clip of Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, Al Jazeera instead focuses on the Greek pensioner, Haralambos Lambrapoulos, and his family.  For that reason Al Jazeera seems more sympathetic towards the plight of the Greek people. Both reporters are filmed in the foreground of the Parliament building. This makes both reporters appear involved with the recent events as they unfold.


A.J. spends a portion of the segment discussing how pensions have become a form of unemployment--supporting multiple families.  However, before the video clip, the narrator only briefly mentions that this round of austerity cuts will not be made from pensions, as it had been previously, in 2010.  It is biased of A.J. to present the information as if pensions will be cut again in 2012. This intentional juxtaposition clearly favors the people (as seen in the title) and is therefore subtly against Parliament passing further austerity cuts.

Similarly, CNN's focus on the Prime Minister and how he "solemnly" presented Greek citizens with the pros of passing the deal.  Chance reports this with a solemn expression of his own.  (Although later in the segment, his expression contorts in suppressed laughter as he states that citizens are increasingly angry at the possibility of more cuts.) Despite the title of the piece, Chance only briefly mentions the "clash" of rioters and police outside of the Parliament building.  It's as if CNN wanted to lure potential viewers with violence in order for them to watch Prime Minster Papademos explain that Greece would go bust if this deal was not passed.  The focus on Papademos indicates that CNN favors the austerity cuts.

Al Jazeera devotes its segment to the people of Greece, staying true to the title.  A.J. further supplements the report with statistics (facts and figures) of how much money Greece needs, and what the cuts are actually going to cost the Greek people. CNN seems to speculate more about how the people feel, but does not focus on the actuality of the events.  While Al Jazeera shows real footage of the streets of Athens, CNN simply presents a succinct, verbal overview of what's going on.

Another interesting point to note is that Al Jazeera ended the segment with mentioning the political repercussions of passing the deal.  A.J. even goes as far as to say that Greek citizens are being "pushed" towards Communists and left-wings due to vehement opposition to further economic cuts.  This makes Al Jazeera seem more politically motivated in their reporting. 


And while both stations showed identical footage of union strikers, only CNN noted the riots, and only briefly.  Al Jazeera did not mention the violent upheaval of the citizens.  Both CNN and Al Jazeera are biased, for and against the austerity cuts in Greece.  However, both newscasts are presented as if with no bias.  The indication of where each network stands on the issue is subtle.

            "Greek graffiti artists expressing 
    their view of the austerity measures."


However, the BBC knows how to present the news right--to the point, with relative live footage, and an unbiased report.
BBC "Violence flares amid Greece austerity strikes."
(1:14)