Greece's government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis has accused media outlets of conducting organized character assassinations after a newspaper published what he described as a fabricated story about Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis.
Marinakis, who serves as deputy minister to the prime minister, said the front-page report in the newspaper Estia falsely claimed Gerapetritis had dined at a businessman's home with PASOK officials Anna Diamantopoulou and Manolis Christodoulakis. He said the article was false from beginning to end and was accompanied by a photo that was clearly a product of artificial intelligence.
He said a common thread connects those who spread lies on national issues, those who exploit national tragedies, and populists, and that their aim is to mislead public opinion and stoke anger.
Marinakis said combating disinformation and character assassination is not only a matter for the government but a question of the survival of democracy itself.
