Does media policy promote media freedom and independence? The case of Turkey

  • The report aims to analyze and explain the actors and processes of media policy making in Turkey; the substance and implementation of such policies; the legal framework governing media content; the ownership structure of the media; the working conditions of journalists; and the emerging social efforts to combat discrimination and hate speech in the media. IT argues that the prospects for media independence and freedom in Turkey appear extremely weak. In a sector driven by corporate interests, nepotism and clientelist relations, the media owners do not have the incentive to provide truthful and critical news coverage. The historical weakness of trade unions in Turkey, the high level of unemployment among journalists, the high turnover rate in the sector and the deep divisions among journalists due to ideological differences make it very difficult for media employees to engage in a unified struggle against their employers. The lack of a strong pro-democracy social movement, the ideological conservatism of the judiciary, the institutional weakness of the parliament and the lack of democracy within political parties render the government –and future governments– too powerful vis-à-vis the society and the media. On the other hand, the inability and the unwillingness of the media to regulate itself, as well as the authoritarian and punitive nature of state regulation, has mobilized the civil society to monitor the media’s compliance with universal principles and professional ethical codes and to combat discrimination and hate speech in the media.

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Metadaten
Document Type:Working Paper
Language:English
Author(s):Dilek Kurban, Ceren Sozeri
Publication year:2011
Publishing Institution:Hertie School
Number pages:49
Related URL:http://www.mediadem.eliamep.gr/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Turkey.pdf
Release Date:2015/10/29
Tag:Media policies in Turkey
Licence of document (German):Metadaten / metadata
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