Salonicco, journalism on the metro

By combining investigative rigour with creative storytelling, local journalists in Thessaloniki have kept the public informed, but also ensured that the metro remains a shared civic concern, a story owned by the people as much as by the trains themselves

In the spring of 2023, the Greek government triumphantly announced that the Thessaloniki metro was “up and running”, a phrase plastered across press releases and podium speeches. The problem was that this claim was more metaphor than reality. Yes, there were stations, shiny and new. Yes, there were trains, beautiful and immobile. But no, the metro was not actually carrying passengers — not yet, not even close.

Enter George Toulas, a journalist and activist with a sharp wit and a sharper sense of irony. Watching this grandiose declaration, Toulas did what any self-respecting Thessalonian would do: he turned the absurdity of the situation into art. Adopting the government’s “up and running” motto as his own, he began crafting an alternate reality in which the metro was not only operational but a vital part of daily life.

Through social media posts, photos and articles published on the Parallaxi magazine, an independent media outlet from Thessaloniki, Toulas chronicled his fictional escapades on the metro. There was the time when as self-proclaimed president of the (non-existing) ‘Friends of the Thessaloniki Metro’ association, he met and greeted government officials by making a heroic entry from the train’s roof. His stories were absurd, hilarious and painfully relatable to anyone who had ever waited for a Thessaloniki bus.

But beneath the humour lay a biting critique. Toulas was not just making jokes; he was holding up a mirror to the government’s failures. The journalist started parodying the metro-related adversities almost 15 years ago, with articles satirising the long delays in a project that would eventually become a national joke. In the last couple of years, by pretending that the metro existed as the government had promised, he highlighted the chasm between official rhetoric and lived reality.

His fictional adventures became a form of protest, exposing the frustration of a city that had waited for decades for a metro system that remained tantalizingly out of reach. While officials spoke in polished soundbites, Toulas became the go-to source for Thessalonians seeking unvarnished truth. He reported on delays, construction setbacks and budget overruns with the same wit he used to invent his metro escapades.

In a country where journalists are viewed by the wider public with suspicion and mistrust, gaining citizens’ trust takes time and humour can be a useful tool. Interviewed by OBCT in September 2023, one year before the official (and actual) opening of the Thessaloniki metro, Toulas shared how his interaction with the public intensified through his social media presence.

“I believe that during all these years that I have been working as a journalist in Thessaloniki, I have created a sincere and open relationship with my readers. Many of my stories come from them, they are a reflection of real problems and challenges experienced in the city. I try to be true to them and to the city itself. The ‘upandrunning’ satire made this bond even stronger, reaching out to an even larger audience, who wanted to get straightforward, unbiased information”.

Toulas’ reporting ended up telling a deeper truth about the power of humour to expose hypocrisy and the resilience of a city. A few months later, however, smiles would freeze. This time, Parallaxi Magazine would publish an investigative story on the company who had been directly commissioned the costly creation of the metro logo. The evidence presented would open Pandora’s box on allegations of corruption.

The scandalous logo

As Thessaloniki's long-anticipated metro project neared completion, a seemingly innocuous element — the system's logo — ignited a fervent public debate. The design featured a stylised lowercase "m", inspired by Byzantine calligraphy to honour the city's rich history, encased in a circle symbolising metro tunnels. Its design sparked controversy primarily due to its direct commission and associated costs. Initially, a public competition offering an €8,000 prize was announced but was abruptly cancelled without explanation just days before the submission deadline. Then, the project was directly awarded to a relatively unknown firm, Marketing and Media Service Single Member PC, based in Agia Paraskevi, Athens, for €30,000.

This decision drew criticism from the Association of Architects of Thessaloniki (SATH) and the graphic design community, who contended that the logo's development process lacked transparency and public involvement, leading to suspicions of favoritism and mismanagement. The controversy intensified when it was revealed that the design bore a striking resemblance to existing logos, raising questions about its originality and the allocation of public funds for its creation.

Solomon, an investigative journalism outlet, delved into the matter, uncovering intricate ownership structures and potential conflicts of interest within Greek media. Their investigation has shed light on the broader context of media influence and control in Greece, suggesting that the metro logo scandal was symptomatic of deeper systemic issues.

It is worth mentioning that neither the government nor the official metro communication channels have provided concrete responses to these allegations. Local journalists in Thessaloniki have turned sharp wit into a form of activism, using humour to critique and inform, while independent outlets like Parallaxi and Solomon have meticulously documented the murkier dealings, such as the controversy surrounding the logo. Together, they have provided citizens with an independent lens on a project often obscured by political spin and bureaucratic opacity.

One year after our first exchange, George Toulas comments on “the reality of the Metro”, a project which “was problematically designed and problematically executed, bearing huge scandals that no one will be held accountable for”.

“I hate the arrogance of politicians, the boasting, the finger-wagging as well as the paid journalism that justifies all crimes for reasons of party duty and submission. For 35 years at Parallaxi we have been doing our job as per our values; I believe that we have contributed many times to exposing huge issues and we have forced the authorities to intervene to address them. We will continue reporting on inadequacies and problems regarding public works and operations. This is journalism”.

As for whether he will be using the metro to go to work, Toulas is positive:

“Yes, I will be taking the metro. And I recommend that you do so too, fearlessly. Let a city tormented by cars breathe. Let it hope for better days”.