The ancient Greek playwright Sophocles was among the earlier individuals to point out that nobody likes a person who brings bad news. That idea endured, and today we often talk about "shooting the messenger" who bears unhappy tidings.
Well, about 2,400 years after Sophocles' death, some modern-day Greek "messengers" are being "shot" -- fortunately not literally -- for pointing out the alarming scope of their country's debt crisis.
A number of statisticians who revealed the true scale of Greece's massive deficits are being formally investigated because of the ugly spotlight that their hard-hitting news about those deficits cast on Greece.
Critics accuse the statisticians of harming the country by making the financial crisis in Greece -- which is suffering a long recession brought about by reckless spending -- look worse. The criminal investigation could ultimately yield charges of "breach of faith."
Ironically, the allegations come after the statistical service was made independent of political pressures. Now that the statisticians are giving a more realistic picture of how bad things are in Greece, they are facing a criminal probe and could be imprisoned if they are convicted!
That brings to mind another tragic figure from Greek literature: Cassandra. She was cursed to be able to see the future but not to be believed when she warned others about it.
All these centuries later, it seems we still don't like the bearers of bad news -- even when they're telling us things that we desperately need to hear.