Mediterranean e-journal of Communication & Media, 2013 Vol.2 No.1 http://mediaejournal.org/ An empirical approach to Greek viewpoint diversity – The economic crisis and the outflow of the news content Andreas N. Masouras Lecturer, Neapolis University, Pafos Email: a.masouras@nup.ac.cy Abstract This research presents a methodology application for the study of viewpoint diversity in television news. More specifically, the application moves along three axes: the study of diversity in the range of topics, people diversity study and the study of time diversity that is the time that is provided by the channels to various topics. At first, the nature of television newscasts is discussed. 1. The significance of news bulletins Viewpoint diversity is usually approached through news and informational shows, since these types of programmes entail the element of opinion in a far greater degree and intensity than other programme genres. In addition, the message of these programmes is more easily decoded. For instance, a movie may include an ideological message hidden in the plot. On the contrary, in news bulletins the message is clear and directly expressed by representatives of various opinions and ideologies. Therefore, newscasts are the ideal genre in order for the researcher to study viewpoint diversity. In this chapter, content study is applied on the case of news bulletins, that is the diversity of news content is being studied, based on certain parameters that have already been discussed in the methodology chapter. However, prior to the application, this subchapter deals with the analysis of some empirical approaches with regard to the role and the nature of news bulletins in Greece, as they are perceived by their own chief editors.