From ostensible to actual media pluralism. An examination of content diversity in Greece's fragmented online media system

This study examines the Greek media landscape, characterized by a paradox of low press freedom and high numerical fragmentation. The analysis is based on an extensive dataset comprising over 3.37 million article titles from a broad spectrum of Greek online media published throughout 2024. The findings reveal that this quantitative fragmentation does not necessarily lead to qualitative content pluralism. Thematic coverage across websites shows a lack of divergence while metrics of news polarity and stance towards the government follow similar trends. Only a few websites are positioned outside the larger clusters around these metrics with the majority being pro-government and positive. News agency content reproduction further contributes to homogenization. Crucially, the study provides empirical evidence that common ownership among media outlets significantly reduces the content’s diversity of viewpoints and stances. This suggests that media ownership structures exert a considerable influence on content, potentially undermining true media pluralism in Greece.