Exclusive access and deep insight mark Reuters coverage of Greek election

Reuters coverage of Greece’s general election was characterised by ahead of the curve reporting and exclusive access to the main players. Back on Aug 21, Reuters predicted early elections were highly likely in the autumn. Sure enough, on Sept. 2, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis called a snap election, gambling that it would return him with a majority big enough to push through economic reforms. Stories in the build-up to the vote zeroed in on economic problems in the eurozone’s ‘weakest link’. There were exclusive interviews with the main players - Socialist leader George Papandreou and Karamanlis. As results came in on Sunday Oct 4, showing a big Socialist win, the Reuters team in Athens pushed out an analysis of the challenges the new government faces, the views of analysts and detailed policy boxes. Markets reacted positively to the scale of the win the following day. The Reuters team took a longer view with ANALYSIS-Greek Socialists must prove credibility.