Greek journalist and ex-spokesman Antonis Kourtis dies

The news in Greek

1. κυβερνητικός
   που έχει σχέση με την κυβέρνηση ή ανήκει στην κυβέρνηση ↩︎
2. εκπρόσωπος  (m.)
   άτομο που μιλάει ή ενεργεί για λογαριασμό μιας ομάδας, οργανισμού ή αρχής ↩︎
3. σπουδάζω
   παρακολουθώ σπουδές σε ανώτερο ή ανώτατο εκπαιδευτικό ίδρυμα ↩︎
4. νομικά  (n.)
   επιστήμη που ασχολείται με τους νόμους και το δίκαιο ↩︎
5. εφημερίδα  (f.)
   έντυπο που εκδίδεται τακτικά και περιέχει ειδήσεις και άλλα θέματα ↩︎
6. σεβασμός  (m.)
   βαθιά εκτίμηση και τιμή προς κάποιον ή κάτι ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: In which city did Antonis Kourtis grow up?

Question 2: What did Antonis Kourtis study before working for newspapers?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
κυβερνητικός	government (as in: relating to the government)
εκπρόσωπος  (m.)	spokesperson
σπουδάζω	to study (at university or college)
νομικά  (n.)	law (as a field of study)
εφημερίδα  (f.)	newspaper
σεβασμός  (m.)	respect

Read the full story

Veteran Greek journalist Antonis Kourtis, who also served as a government spokesman under prime minister Andreas Papandreou, has died at the age of 92. Greek media describe him as a leading media figure in Thessaloniki and a personality who also played a role in national politics and public life.

Kourtis was born in Larissa in February 1934 and spent his childhood during the difficult years of the German occupation of Greece in the Second World War. His father was arrested in 1941, imprisoned in the Averoff Prison in Athens and later sent to a concentration camp in Italy. Kourtis grew up in Thessaloniki, studied law at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and initially worked as a lawyer before turning to journalism.

His journalistic career began in 1961 at the newspapers “Eleftheros Laos” and “Drasi”. Later, he joined the newspaper “Thessaloniki”, where he eventually became editor-in-chief. During his leadership, the paper reportedly achieved high circulation and was regarded as an important daily voice of the city, covering major developments in Greece and abroad. Kourtis worked closely with the paper’s publisher Ioannis Vellidis.

During the period of the military dictatorship in Greece (1967–1974), Kourtis was also a correspondent for the Agence France-Presse (AFP) and contributed to the Greek-language programme of Swedish Radio. Greek reports note that he and his colleagues sometimes looked for ways to publish sensitive news despite strict censorship by the authorities.

In the mid-1980s Kourtis moved directly into the sphere of government communication. In 1985 he was appointed Secretary General of Press and Information in the government of socialist leader Andreas Papandreou. The following year, in 1986, he became the official government spokesman. From this position he dealt with daily questions from political journalists. He became widely known for the phrase “alli erotisi” (Greek for “next question” or “another question”), which he reportedly used when he did not wish to answer difficult or sensitive queries. For some journalists this became a memorable symbol of his communication style.

Beyond politics, Kourtis was closely connected with the Thessaloniki International Fair (DETH), one of Greece’s major trade fairs. He was appointed president of DETH and is described in Greek coverage as its longest-serving head. During his tenure, the exhibition centre in Marousi, Athens, was completed. In recognition of his contribution, the management of DETH-Helexpo awarded him a commemorative plaque and gave his name to a hall in the “Ioannis Vellidis” conference centre in Thessaloniki.

From the mid-1990s onwards, Kourtis continued to hold leading positions in the Greek press. In 1995 he took over responsibility for the weekly insert “Northern Greece” in the national newspaper “Kathimerini”. Between 2000 and 2007 he directed the Thessaloniki newspapers “Aggelioforos” and “Aggelioforos tis Kyriakis” (the Sunday edition).

Kourtis was also active in professional organisations. He was elected president of the Union of Daily Newspaper Journalists of Macedonia–Thrace (ESIEMTH) for eight years. For his long service and contribution to journalism, he was honoured by the union’s Cultural Foundation. These positions show that his influence extended beyond individual newsrooms to the broader community of journalists in northern Greece.

According to Greek press reports, Kourtis followed developments in the media sector closely up to the end of his life. He is said to have expressed concern about the future of the printed press and in particular about the lack of a large, widely distributed daily newspaper in Thessaloniki, a role that papers like “Thessaloniki” once played. His death marks the passing of a figure who connected post-war Greek journalism, the years of dictatorship, the democratic transition and the transformation of the media landscape in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

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