For the past few years, the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have come under fire both at home and abroad for allegedly curbing press freedom and freedom of expression in Turkey. The so-called opposition press has been conducting a policy of attrition against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which, to say the least, has reflected the double standards being used to hurt the government.
This propaganda has created a perception especially in Western countries that the government has systematically curbed press freedom and has tried to shut up those who oppose it.
What is awkward, however, is the fact that the mass circulation newspapers have continued their campaign to hurt the AK Party without really feeling any pressure from those in power, so much so that President Erdoğan's family has remained their constant target while these TV stations and newspapers have continued their war of attrition unabated.
The general impression was that the government was putting pressure on the opposition press using its political strength. Yet the recent examples show that the pressure on the Turkish media is not a government-sponsored or supported effort but the result of a crooked system that has to be properly revised and reformed.
This means the government and the opposition parties have to take steps in Parliament to ensure that press freedom and freedom of expression can be properly exercised in this country without any hindrance.
Those who keep on criticizing President Erdoğan for suing people for writing derogatory messages on Facebook and Twitter have to realize that others in opposition are also using the courts when they too are victims of insults. For example, in recent days mass circulation daily Hürriyet which, is an ardent adversary of Erdoğan, the AK Party and the government had a front-page story where they bragged about a women who was sentenced for writing insults against Aydin Doğan, the boss of the Hürriyet media group.
So where were those who keep criticizing Erdoğan for his court actions against those who insult him and his family and speak about freedom of expression when Aydın Doğan was using the same methods against those who hurt him?
After the AK Party's landslide victory in the Nov. 1 elections, Sabah Media Group's A Haber TV, which has emerged as the most popular TV station in Turkey in recent times, has been shocked by a barrage of fines from the Supreme Elections Board (YSK) and the Radio and TV regulatory body RTÜK.
A record total of 16 fines were imposed on news channel a Haber, which includes four fines, temporarily suspending programs and six reprimands. The elections board claims a Haber violated election laws during the campaign period prior to the Nov. 1 polls.
So where are those champions of press freedom and freedom of expression when a Haber is facing such massive fines?
It is very clear that all these fines and the harassment of the media are not carried out by just the AK Party or Erdoğan. The fact that some quarters in the U.S. and the EU who would have been up in arms if the target have been other TV stations and newspapers in Turkey are so silent only shows that they are biased and do not mean well. We have to do our own spring cleaning in our own way.
Now is the time for us to take steps to revamp our rules on press freedom and freedom of expression. This means the AK Party as well as the opposition parties in Parliament have to be prepared to act.
