Press freedom is a sacred thing that has been completely misrepresented in Turkey for several decades. The press was never free in Turkey in any real sense.The day that publishing and TV groups fell into the hands of industrial bosses Turkey's press started changing shape and newspapers and TV stations turned into bargaining chips used by newspaper owners to manipulate politics.
Newspaper bosses cooperated with the military in 1996 to depose the elected government of then Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan. Newspaper owners before boasted that they were kingmakers and that they had installed Mesut Yılmaz as prime minister.
All these are on record in the newspaper archives of Turkey.
Since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan came to power in 2002 as prime minister he has been the target of certain media groups. Erdoğan first tried to appease them by creating an environment of cohabitation. He appeased newspaper owners, allowing them to carry out some major business projects. But the same greedy business and media bosses did not hesitate in 2007 to side with the military in the hope that they could once again get rid of Erdoğan and install a military backed government of their own liking.
Since then Erdoğan has been hitting them hard and they have been fighting back. The criticism leveled against Erdoğan has nothing to do with the superior interests of the people of Turkey. They are more to do with the greedy businessmen whose money lines have been severed by Erdoğan and who are seeking revenge.
What is being done has nothing to do with press freedom in a country where out of 38 national newspapers 21 oppose Erdoğan and some carry this to the extent of sheer enmity.
Of course we will criticize Erdoğan whenever necessary. Did our readers not read this column several months before the June 7 elections in which we said the people may oppose the presidential system and that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) should have a plan B to scrap the presidential system and concentrate on enhancing the parliamentary system.
However, criticizing or even making friendly warnings to Erdoğan or actually opposing him is one thing, and openly cursing him and insulting him and members of his family is something completely different.
Everyday Erdoğan is treated to a barrage of insults in the Turkish press that would result in serious liable charges in other countries. You only have to read the headlines in dailies Sözcü and Cumhuriyet to see the insults that Erdoğan is treated to practically every day. Yet all these newspaper and TV stations function normally every day without any hindrance. On an average day there are about 400 columns published in Turkey and half of these are on political issues and two-thirds of those are written by opposition columnists. Has anyone heard of any government or state pressure on them?
Those who voluntarily served as the mouthpiece of the military in the past now cannot preach to anyone about freedoms and liberties.
Of course we will criticize and of course we will warn the government and, if necessary, Erdoğan, because that is our job as journalists. However, no one has the right to insult or humiliate anyone and that includes the president of the country and his relatives.
