An address by the President and General Director of the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA) Michalis Psilos on Tuesday launched the proceedings of the 27th annual general assembly of the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies (AMAN), which is being held at the Cape Sounio Grecotel in southeast Attica on October 2-4.
The first day was devoted to a seminar focusing on fake news and its impact on journalism, as well as the challenges and prospects faced by news agencies generally, while it ended with speeches by the representatives of the companies supporting the event, such as Grigoris Stergioulis of Enterprise Greece, Vivian Bouzali of the Mytilineos Group, Nikos Koutsianas from Apivita, Dimitris Stebilis from the Daskalantonaki Group and Savvas Karagiannis of Athens Medical.
In his address to the event, which is being hosted by the ANA, Psilos referred to the Mediterranean's role as the cradle of civilisation and its central position, which in the present day did not work to its advantage, especially in connection with the refugee crisis "which has turned it into a graveyard of souls".
"We, the news agencies, must do everything we can so that the Mediterranean once more becomes a sea of stability and cooperation," he said, stressing the need for cooperation between news agencies.
He also referred to the advent of Artificial Intelligence and the threat that technology poses for journalism, while noting that there are rules that must be followed. He especially singled out copyright and original content theft as one of the greatest scourges for the sector, including the ANA.
Psilos ended his address by referring to the ANA's continuous operation for the past 113 years, providing reliable news coverage, promoting the country and the issues that concern it abroad and its latest initiatives, including a collaboration with the Manpower Employment Organisation OAED to set up a vocational course for aspiring future journalists in Greece.
Speakers at the seminar referred to the threat of fake news and the role of the social media in its replication, as well as the role of journalists and their mission to carefully check the facts before publishing, while noting that in an environment of ruthless competition, fake news will tend to proliferate.
Others focused on the transition to a digital era in media and communications, the ease with which fake news can spread and the lack of trust this generates, the role of search engine algorithms and the lack of credibility of the media as a threat to democracy.
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) Professor Andreas Veglis, the head of the university's school of journalism, also highlighted the role of data in journalism as an important parameter. 
Other speakers included National Kapodistrian University of Athens professor and member of the National Council of Radio and Television Giorgos Pleios and Panteion University professor Nikos Leandros.
Wednesday will be devoted to a closed session of the general assembly of the member-news agency presidents and directors, during which the ANA will assume AMAN's presidency for one year.
The event concludes on Thursday, October 4, with a seminar for AMAN members.
The general assembly is held with the kind support of Mytilineos Group, Apivita, Athens Medical Group and the Public Power Corporation.   

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