Turkey: the referendum and the media

On The Listening Post this week: Turks vote “Yes” to expand presidential powers: we assess the role the media played in the outcome. Plus, the dilemma of inclusion: covering the far right. 

Turkey’s referendum: Did voters receive balanced coverage?

Of Presidents, Plebiscites and Populism. Turkey‘s constitutional referendum – if implemented – will grant President Erdogan sweeping powers. What role did the media play in the “Yes” campaign – and what does the vote mean for Turkey’s democracy?

Contributors:

Gulseren Adakli, media scholar

Fatih Polat, editor-in-chief, Evrensel.

Borzou Daragahi, Middle East correspondent, Buzzfeed News

Mustafa Karoglu, columnist, Star Daily

On our radar:

• Rumour became fact at Fox News this past week, with the departure of top-rated anchor Bill O’Reilly over sexual harassment allegations. On this story, the network has some spinning to do.
• British Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap election and she quickly ruled out taking part in TV debates, knowing that on the print side, the country’s mostly pro-Brexit press already has her back.
• In Chechnya, journalists with Novaya Gazeta fear for their lives after a religious leader and his followers promised “vengeance” over a report on a purge of homosexuals.

Media and the far right: Who gets a platform?

It’s been an introspective few months for media outlets and the journalists working for them. Among the questions they’ve been asking themselves – given the rise of Donald Trump, right-wing, populist figures across Europe and as far east as the Philippines – are: why didn’t we see this coming? And: how do we deal with these kinds of voices, long considered to be on the political fringes, now that they’re here? 

Contributors:

Ash Sarkar, senior editor, Novara Media

Kyle Pope, editor-in-chief and publisher, Columbia Journalism Review

Bas Heijne, columnist, Nrc

Padraig Reidy, editor, Little Atoms