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Pluralist media representation in Turkey

Pluralist media representation in Turkey. Ekrem Eddy Güzeldere European Stability Initiative Istanbul. Pluralist media representation in Turkey.

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Pluralist media representation in Turkey

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  1. Pluralist media representation in Turkey Ekrem Eddy Güzeldere European Stability Initiative Istanbul

  2. Pluralist media representation in Turkey • In this presentation “pluralist media” refers to different ethnic, religious and linguistic groups and their press organs, not about pluralism within Turkish media (different political camps, censorship etc.). • Pluralism vs Unitary State • State policy of “one language” vs multilinguality of the population • Recognized non-Muslim minorities and their media • Officially there are no Muslim minorities, how can non-Turkish languages be used in print and TV? • In recent years political changes through democratization and Europeanization, however, full equality between Turkish (language) and non-Turkish language-media has not yet been achieved.

  3. Historical dimension:Printing and Pressin the Ottoman Empire

  4. Jewish Printing in the Ottoman Empire • Jewish immigration to the Ottoman Empire in 1492 from Spain. • 1493 first printing house established, by David and Samuel Ibn Nahmias, first book in the same year titled Arba’ah Turim. • Istanbul between the 16th and late 18th century one of the most important centres for Hebrew printing. • In 1750 Isak Valero and in 1782 Haim Eli Pardo started printing in Judeo-Espanyol.

  5. Jewish Press in the Ottoman Empire • first Jewish newspaper "La Buena Esperansa" (Good Hope) was published in Izmir in 1840. • The first paper in Istanbul was "Or Israel" (Light of Israel), printed in Rashi characters (similar to the Hebrew alphabet) in Judeo - Spanish by Leon de Hayim Kastro in 1853. • Through the influence of the Alliance Israelite Schools there were since the beginning of the 20th century also newspapers in French.

  6. Republican Time Those papers publishing in Judeo-Espanyol changed the alphabet with the introduction of the Latin Alphabet in Turkey in 1928. Today only one regular paper left, ŞALOM. Established in 1947 in Judeo-Espanyol, in the 1980s it switched to Turkish, but one page is still published in Spanish. 16 page weekly 3500 issues, 500 subscribers News from the Jewish community, Turkey and Israel “Salom is not a community newspaper, but one that serves the community“ Salom tries to stay away from sensitive political issues, few criticism of minority issues and past injustices.

  7. Greek Printing and Press • The first Greek printing house was established in 1627. • The first newspaper was published in 1832 and was the Greek edition of the Official Gazette of the Ottoman Empire called Otomanikos Monitor. • The native language of most of the Greeks living in Anatolia was Turkish. Their publications was in what is called Karamanlica (karamanlidika), Turkish written in Greek alphabet. This press and its people got completely lost with the population exchange in the early 1920s. • Private Press in Greece starts with Anatolikos Astir, published by Filalitis-Kalifron-Fotiadis between 1861 and 1894.

  8. Apoyevmatini / IHO • In the newly founded Turkish Republic there were between 1923-1941 in Istanbul 28 Greek papers and journals, of which 24 were daily political papers • With the decrease of the population also the number of papers decreases. • Today there are only two papers left: Apoyevmatini and Iho. • Apoyevmatini, or “Mid-afternoon,” has been publishing since 1925. • Editor in chief since 2002 is Mihail Vasiliadis: “Nobody dies or is born without our knowledge!” Currently 580 copies are produced, 550 are delivered to Greek families. • Iho, or echo, started its life in 1977 as a biweekly. Following its first two years, it became a daily newspaper. The six-page daily that sells around 500 copies.

  9. Armenian Printing and Press • The first printing house of Armenians in Istanbul was set up in 1567 by Armenians coming from Venice. • The birth date of the Armenian Press is 1812 • Still two Armenian language dailies, Nor Marmara and Jamanak, which is the oldest paper in Turkey (1908). • Both sell between 1400-2000 copies.

  10. 1996 founded by Hrant Dink and a group of Istanbul Armenians. Agos was born out of a meeting called by Patriarch Karekin II when main stream media started linking Armenians of Turkey with the terrorist PKK Agos is the only example of a paper by non-Muslims opening up to the broader society and becoming a paper of alternative voices, Armenians, other Christians, Turks and Kurds, committed to democratization, Europeanization human rights and a multicultural and tolerant society. Main Language is Turkish (20 pages), 4 pages Armenian. Current Editor in chief: Etyen Mahçupyan

  11. From community paper to a voice for liberal democrats of all ethnic and religious affiliations • By publishing in Turkish as well as Armenian, Dink opened up the channels of communication to the society at large for the Armenian community. • Agos started with a circulation of 2,000, and now reached a circulation of around 6,000 and is available nationwide. • Hrant Dink promoted a policy of wider integration of Turkey’s Armenians into society. • Non-Armenians at AGOS: Aydin Engin, Oral Calislar, Ali Bayramoglu, Ayse Hür, Dilek Kurban

  12. Hrant Dink Assassinated in front of AGOS on 19 January 2007 Dink had many supporters and sympathizers, but also many opponents, who made him a target and brought him several times to court. He was assassinated on 19 January 2007. As the trial is going on, we learn how many within the “Deep State” were involved in his assassination.

  13. Hrant Dink‘s Funeral in January 2007

  14. Non-Muslims in „Turkish Media“ • There are meanwhile several non-Muslims contributing regularly to mainstream Turkish media: • Markar Esayan (Deputy Editor at Taraf) • Etyen Mahçupyan (Taraf and Today‘s Zaman) • Amberin Zaman (Taraf) • Yorgo Kırbaki (Greece correspondent for Dogan media) • Sami Kohen (Milliyet) • Gila Benmayor (Hürriyet) • Stelyo Berberakis (Sabah, atv) • Roni Margulies (Taraf)

  15. Legal Framework • Constitution: Article 26 (amended on 17 October2001) Everyone has the right to express and disseminate his thoughts and opinion by speech, in writing or in pictures or through other media, individually or collectively. This right includes the freedom to receive and impart information and ideas without interference from official authorities. The exercise of these freedoms may be restricted for the purposes of protecting national security, public order and public safety, the basic characteristics of the Republic and safeguarding the indivisible integrity of the State with its territory and nation, preventing crime, punishing offenders, withholding information duly classified as a state secret, protecting the reputation and rights and private and family life of others, or protecting professional secrets as prescribed by law, or ensuring the proper functioning of the judiciary.

  16. Press Law • Law No: 5187 (Approval Date: 9 June 2004) Freedom of the Press • Article 3 – The press is free. This freedom includes the right to acquire and disseminate information, and to criticize, interpret and create works.  • The exercise of this freedom may be restricted in accordance with the requirements of a democratic society to protect the reputation and rights of others as well as public health and public morality, national security, and public order and public safety; to safeguard the indivisible integrity of its territory; to prevent crime; to withhold information duly classified as state secrets; and to ensure the authority and impartial functioning of the judiciary.

  17. RTÜK (Radio and Television Supreme Council) LAW • Law 3984 Law on the Establishment of Radio and Television Enterprises and Their Broadcasts Law No. 3984 of 20 April 1994 • Broadcasting Standards • Article 4. (As amended by the Law No. 4756 on May 21, 2002 and by the Law No.4771 on 9 August, 2002.) • there may be broadcasts in the different languages and dialects used traditionally by Turkish citizens in their daily lives. Such broadcasts shall not contradict the fundamental principles of the Turkish Republic enshrined in the Constitution and the indivisible integrity of the state with its territory and nation. The principles and procedures for these broadcasts and the supervision of these broadcasts shall be determined through a regulation to be issued by the Supreme Board. • The broadcasting standards in radio, television and data broadcasts are as follows: • a)       Broadcasts shall not violate the existence and independence of the Turkish Republic, the territorial and national integrity of the State, the reforms and principles of Atatürk. [...] Source: RTÜK LAW 3984: http://www.rtuk.org.tr/sayfalar/IcerikGoster.aspx?icerik_id=b41eac9a-bc39-4213-91f3-0d39931c1f1d

  18. Private TV and Radio in Kurdish, 2004 RTÜK regulation for languages spoken traditionally • TV: daily limit of 45 minutes and a weekly limit of four hours. All programmes must have Turkish subtitles. • Radio stations are allowed one hour of Kurdish daily and five hours weekly, also with mandatory translation. • No programs for children, no programs directed towards learning the language. Source: http://www.rtuk.org.tr/sayfalar/IcerikGoster.aspx?icerik_id=7e457602-d4cb-4d72-bf7e-09e16337bb64

  19. Kurdish Press and BroadcastingFrom Kurdistan (1898) to TRT 6 … • Ottoman Times: • First paper published in Cairo in 1898 • Numerous papers in Istanbul between 1908 – 1923 • Republican Era • Kurdish language papers not allowed • Publications and broadcasting in other countries, e.g. Radio Yerevan, also in Iraq and Iran …

  20. Kurdish Press in Turkish • Starting in the late 1940s Kurdish intellectuals started publishing in Turkish. Some were bilingual. This continued until the 1980 coup. • After the 1980 Coup the first newspapers by Kurds were published in 1990. Many newspapers got banned and reopened under similar names.

  21. Kurdish language paper since 1992, since 1996 under the name Azadiya Welat. • Until 2006 a weekly. • Until 2003 with headquarters in Istanbul, since then in Diyarbakir. • Often banned from publishing for „propaganda for a terrorist organization“. • Since 2002 there is also a Kurdish news agency, Dicle (Tigris).

  22. Kurdish Radio and TV • Radio Yerevan in the 1950s etc. • From abroad via Satellite: MED TV (1994), Medya TV (1999), Roj TV (2004) • Offers from Iraq and Iran … • Regional TV in Turkey: Gün TV (with many restrictions, only 45 minutes a day, 4 hours a week, subtitles)

  23. TRT-6 (ŞEŞ) • First short broadcasting in other languages started in 2004 on TRT. • Since 1 January 2009 TRT-6 broadcasts a 24 hour channel in Kirmanci. • Most popular program „Rojname“ presented by singer Rojin. • News programs and dubbed series and films, both Turkish and international.

  24. TRT 6 – Postitive Reactions • The overwhelming reactions to open the channel were positive. • On 3 January Hürriyet’s Hadi Uluengin called it “A Kurdish TV Revolution”, • Cengiz Çandar used in Radikal a Kurdish title saying “Welcome TRT 6, welcome Kurdish”, • Hasan Cemal called it in Milliyet “A positive development: the Kurdish TRT channel” • and even Hurriyet’s editor in chief made a “neutral” comment entitled “Kurdish broadcasting”.

  25. TRT 6 – Negative Reactions • Deniz Baykal, leader of the biggestopposition party CHP said on 3 January 2009 in a programme on CNN Türk: • “It is not right to spend the money of the state and 70 million people in line with the ethnic demands of a certain group of our citizens. The duty of the state is not to encourage ethnic identities. Turkey is heading in the wrong direction.”

  26. TRT 6 – Negative Reactions II • Also the terrorist PKK reacted negatively, PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan commented twice on the channel via his lawyers on 2 and 8 January 2009. In both statements he sees it as a US-driven policy: “These are all impositions by America. These are part of their view of the Kurdish solution.”

  27. TRT 6 Criticism: “AKP Kurds“ • AKP uses TRT 6 to promote its policy and its view on the Kurdish question • Three events until now proved the critics right and show the discrepancy of having a channel contrasting the official state ideology: • 1) Singer Ozan Yusuf is not allowed to sing the songs “Amed” and “Berfin”. • 2) AKP meeting in Diyarbakir live broadcasting. • 3) Rojin steps down (April 2009).

  28. Rojin steps back on 8 April 2009 Problems inviting people to the show, e.g. Şanar Yurdatapan. Interference by TRT on the contents (topics) and guests. Cutting discussion part short, focusing on music.

  29. Important step, but … • Sea change for Turkish politics, from forbidden and denied language to official state TV. • Official acceptance of Kurdish by the state • But: Still no legal basis to broadcast a 24 hour program in Kurdish = “paradox situation”.

  30. Europeanization and the Pluralization of Turkey‘s media landscape • In general the media landscape became more pluralistic, representing better the diversity of the country. • For non-Muslim minorities: Greek will be marginal, Shalom will have its place and AGOS could continue playing an important function of bringing together journalists and academics of different backgrounds.

  31. Europeanization and the Pluralization of Turkey‘s media landscape • Kurdish Press and TV already “profiting” from legal changes. • But, all restrictions concerning broadcasting in other languages have to be lifted. • This would lead to a variety of new publications in other languages than Turkish, mainly Kirmanci and Zaza, but also Arabic and for weeklies and special journals, Georgian, Laz, Circassian and Balkan languages. • Radio programs in these languages and regional private TV stations could follow, too.

  32. European Stability Initiative ESI Reports on Turkey: 1) Islamic Calvinists (2005) 2) Sex and Power – Feminism, Islamism and the Maturing of Turkish Democracy (2007) 3) Turkey‘s Dark Side (2008) 4) Noah‘s Dove Returns – Turkey-Armenia and the Debate on Genocide (April 2009) Ekrem Eddy Güzeldere e.guzeldere@esiweb.org

  33. Return To Europe / Balkanexpress 10 part documentary series on change in Southeast Europe. http://www.balkanexpress.org/

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