Turkey's government tramples on press freedom with newspaper takeover, critics say
We will not write what they want. We will not kneel in front of the repressive Turkish government.- Emre Soncan, journalist with Zaman newspaper, speaking March 5, 2016
The headline on Saturday's March 5, 2016, edition of Turkey's largest-circulation newspaper, Zaman, read, "The constitution is suspended."
Protesters gathered outside the newspaper's offices not to demonstrate against anything the paper had printed, but because government trustees had taken over the paper and its English-language publication, Today's Zaman.
Later Turkish authorities widened its crackdown and seized control of the Cihan news agency. The U.S. State Department called the clampdowns troubling, adding that, "critical opinions should be encouraged, not silenced."
But that has not been the trend inside Turkey of late. The NATO ally, and EU hopeful, ranked near the bottom of last year's World Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders.
As part of our occasional series, Eye On The Media, we take the pulse of the 4th estate inside Turkey— a country on the front line of the refugee crisis.
Guests in this segment:
- Abdullah Ayasun, journalist and editor with Today's Zaman in Istanbul, Turkey.
- Gareth Jenkins, senior associate fellow at the Institute for Security and Development Policy, based in Turkey.
We contacted the Turkish Ambassador to Canada, to the U.S. and the Permanent Mission Of Turkey To The United Nations. No one was available for comment.
This segment was produced by The Current's Idella Sturino, Shanifa Nasser and Vanessa Greco.