Turkey’s ‘free’ press
We examine the state of journalism in Erdogan’s Turkey; plus, how to separate fact from fiction when news is breaking.
Last week, fresh elections in Turkey saw the ruling AK party surge back into power. Turks cast their votes for the second time this year after elections in June saw AK party lose their parliamentary majority.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country’s media is the freest in the world. However, a series of high-profile raids into Turkish media groups hostile to the government has seen some of the biggest media crackdowns in the country’s history.
The election results have put the AK party back in power with 49 percent of the vote, so what does that mean for journalism and media freedom in Turkey?
Talking us through the story are: Nazli Ilicak, a journalist at the Bugun newspaper, Cem Kucuk, a columnist at the Star newspaper; Ceren Sozeri, an associate professor at Galatasaray University; and Nuray Mert, a columnist for the leading Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News.
Other stories On Our Radar this week: An editor for state-run newspaper in China has been fired by the authorities for not following official state policy; Israeli forces raid and shut down a Palestinian radio station; and a secularist publisher was hacked to death in the latest attacks in Bangladesh.
Fake news: How rumours outrace the truth
When a breaking news hits, some of the stories that surface are often reported first on social media platforms: eyes on the ground using digital media platforms giving their accounts.
For journalists, using social media as a means for newsgathering can sometimes be a tricky business and discerning what is news from what is just speculation.
The Listening Post’s Nic Muirhead reports on the rumour mill that is the World Wide Web and the adverse effect it can have on our understanding of news stories.
Most news bulletins end with sports. So this week, we will too. “Every Press Conference Ever” is a satirical take on the inanity that is: a post-match presser. Enjoy and see you next week.