President Erdoğan now has almost 80 percent of media. 31 March 2018, 12:13 UhrEditiert on 31st March 2018, 12:13 Uhr40 comments
Read Turkish original here. The text has been edited easily for German version.
I never forget day: magnate who bought newspaper for which I wrote, invited US columnists to seat of holding company and announced new publication policy: “From now on, I don’t want a line in this newspaper against Erdoğan.”
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When I protested, “How is this going, no criticism of government in a social-democratic newspaper like Milliyet?” he retorted: “Do you know my business risk? I am completely at word of government. “
And I got fired.
Then a phone recording popped up. My boss telephoned with his “boss”, with n prime Minister Erdoğan. Because a report had angered him in newspaper, Erdoğan cleaned owner down. “Why did I just climb into this business,” cried magnate on phone. Yes, 79-year-old businessman actually cried.
Can Dündar
is editor-in-chief of Internet platform Özgürüz. He is now writing for Us Weekly about crisis in Turkey.
This same entrepreneur, Erdoğan Demirören, one of largest Turkish industrialists, became Turkey’s largest media mogul last week. Aydın Doğan, “Murdoch of Turkey”, who almost completely dominated mainstream media for 40 years, surprisingly sold his entire company, including best-selling newspapers Hürriyet and Posta and most popular television channel D and CNN Türk, for 1.2 billion dollars to its competitor Demirören. It is clear to everyone that operation, which is clearly in breach of anti-monopoly law, is not a sale, but a “seizure”. The newspaper Hürriyet, which was titled 20 years ago about him: “His political life is in end”, and her owner never forgot Erdoğan. Scarcely in power, he showed his enmity openly. Aydın Doğan received a tax penalty in incredible amount of 2.5 billion dollars. To push m to 700 million dollars, he had to dismiss a number of chief editors and journalists. He sold newspapers Milliyet and Vatan and ended government criticism in all organs of his media group. Doğans German partner Springer decided to retreat because freedom of press was “trampled”. That was not enough for Erdoğan. Aydın Doğan saw himself forced to sell everything, for fear of arrest.
This article comes from time No. 14/2018. Here you can read entire output.
Thus, before elections, in which his fate and that of his country are voted, Turkish President holds chair of largest media czar in Europe. It determines almost 80 percent of media. Newspapers not dependent on him are threatened by prohibition.
Will this sale, which strengns Erdoğan’s propaganda machine, influence outcome of election?
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Hardly. Because loyal media have long since lost ir audiences. They only publish to please a single person and pray all day long for his re-election.
From Turkish by Sabine Adatepe
