The staff of the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA, formerly ANA-MPA), has been on strike since dawn Thursday and will continue until 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, taking part in a 48-hour strike called by the Athens Journalists Union (ESIEA), in protest of government measures that, apart from severe pay cuts, will size-down the agency and affect the independence of its operation and the news and information it provides.

This move by the socialist PASOK government of Greece affects not only AMNA, but all public media in Greece, including the state television and broadcasting corporation ERT, municipal radio, the government's press and communications services, and ministry and embassy press offices in Greece and abroad.

In their firm belief that the media profession is a social service and not a 'public utility', as the AMNA has been re-classified by the government, and in a further effort to safeguard the independence and professional integrity of AMNA and its journalists, the AMNA staff has issued a call to fellow journalists and professional associations in Greece and abroad to take a stand on this issue, which is critical for the very foundations of democracy and freedom of the press.

The response was immediate, and the Greek government has come under heavy fire, while statements of support for AMNA and all the public media in Greece continue to pour in, with the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) (the European group of the International Federation of Journalists-IFJ) topping the list.