Video: Turkish Journalists Describe the Pressures They Face
by Freedom House / February 11, 2014 / 2 Comments
Video produced for Freedom House special report ‘Democracy in Crisis: Corruption, Media, and Power in Turkey.’
Turkey’s government is improperly using its leverage over media to limit public debate about government actions and punish journalists and media owners who dispute government claims, deepening the country’s political and social polarization, Freedom House concludes in its new report on Turkey, issued on February 3.
“The government must recognize that its efforts to control a free debate are further alienating Turkey’s citizens and could potentially threaten the country’s stability,” the report said. “It could also put at risk Turkey’s integration with Europe and its strong alliance with the United States.”
“The crisis in Turkey’s democracy is not a future problem,” said David J. Kramer, president of Freedom House and a co-author of the report. “The media face tremendous pressure from the government, and the government now has widened its attacks to other institutions.”
The report catalogues the Turkish government’s actions to suppress freedom of speech, which have intensified since the emergence of a major corruption scandal in December 2013. Over the past year, dozens of journalists have been fired as a result of government pressure, and government officials’ threats against journalists have become common.
The report provides short and long-term recommendations to the Turkish government, the European Union, and the United States for how to support Turkey’s democracy.
Read ‘Democracy in Crisis: Corruption, Media, and Power in Turkey.’
Read a Freedom House report on self-censorship in one of Turkey’s most popular history magazines.
Click an interactive timeline of Turkish media from 1997 to now.
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This video was originally published by Freedom House on February 2, 2014. The accompanying text was published by Freedom House on February 3, 2014.
2 Comments on "Video: Turkish Journalists Describe the Pressures They Face"
Seriously??? You picked these three guys to show that the media in Turkey is under government pressure. For 11 years the media has been under intense pressure, and we have witnessed journalism being gradually destroyed, and TV and print media turned in to propaganda machines. Yet you pick these three hired pens who were fired only after the government’s fascistic aspirations reached such a dimension that it became impossible to hide it anymore. How about talking to Soner Yalçın, Nedim Şener, Tuncay Özkan, Doğu Perinçek and dozens of other journalists who have been jailed because they are dissidents. They are the real victims of use of government power to suppress freedom of the media…
how about this one. is this journal fair? in one video it is possible to make people look like the person who cruhes and breaches law, trying to make his order®ime by his own. but is it actually? we are sure for one thing. that media was the biggest gun of yours until now. you admirable population scientist!
and I wonder was it different before? how was it? what did you “fair” journalist done before? was there an another order before?
just be honest to yourself. and tell me what is the true purpose of this video actually? why did you come here that fancy and tried to reveal this kind of “facts”. just be brave and tell me.
I know you are gonna lie again!
Keep like that. but it is not working anymore.
it should be strange feeling that hitting by your own gun now.
you keep try to humiliate that country to west ones, and that people of that country. governance of that country. make it look like there are huge problems in that country. make it look like actuallt its a weak country.
but don’t forget there are facts. the facts that everybody can see.