An Unembarrassable Media

Is there any embarrassment being felt by those in the media who have tried to present the attack on journalist Ahmet Hakan as if it were some sort of “traffic fight,” regarding the truth behind the event, which is finally emerging? I doubt it. After all, those who have mastered the warping of truth, straight-out lying and behaving as trumpeters for Ankara's Palace -- all under the guise of journalism -- are not likely to embarrass easily.
In statements to police, the men involved in beating up Ahmet Hakan revealed the names of those who had encouraged them to carry out the attack. Of the seven people brought to the police station on suspicion of involvement in the attack, one was put in prison while the others were all allowed to go free, though they will be tried later. In the meantime, it has been revealed that the person who encouraged the attack was a former member of the special forces police. But the question then becomes: Who gave him these orders?

Another striking aspect to this incident is that Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy Abdurrahim Boynukalın, who led the destructive protests outside the building of the Hürriyet newspaper, told Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş that “it was Sedat Peker's men who carried out the attack.” Now, if Boynukalın knew this, surely this is something the prosecutors in charge of this case would also know, isn't it?!

Most of Turkey is aware that Sedat Peker is not only one of this country's most famous “nationalist” mafia types, but also a huge fan of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. But the real point of interest in this for us is the role of the media, and the dimension of ethics herein.

The pro-government media has, for the most part, decided to ignore the attack on Ahmet Hakan as much as possible. Some of these papers have presented the attack as if it were a kind of “traffic fight” between citizens. Demagoguery has been the favored response of pro-government columnists and analysts writing about the attack; many have asked, “Why was there not this big of a negative response to the terror incidents we saw earlier in Turkey?” While no one has gone as far as to say, “It's a good thing it happened,” the pro-government papers have largely treated the incident with lots of “buts” and “howevers,” and have stayed far away from openly condemning the attack.

In the end, it's a rotten tableau we see. The pincers squeezing the opposition media these days are largely being applied by the pro-government media itself. Media outlets controlled by the AKP and the palace are being used as weapons against opposition media outlets and oppositional factions of society.

And in fact, threats delivered in newspaper columns, on TV screens and live at political rallies are whipping pro-AKP supporters into a frenzy against the opposition. Suddenly, those who don't obey Erdoğan or the AKP are all perceived as “traitors to the nation” or even “terrorists.” In the end, the attack against Ahmet Hakan shows us clearly that the street gangs have been inspired, even pushed into taking things into their own hands.

Rumors have been circulating for a while now that the days preceding the Nov. 1 election will see a large-scale operation against the opposition media. Some say even larger numbers of journalists will be arrested. Never mind the insults and threats delivered over social media; nowadays, no one can even feel secure just walking down the street. However, if the media bows to this pressure, it will wind up placing itself at the mercy of those responsible for the events of this era. This would be critical from the perspective of the country's future.

There is an old saying in Turkish: "Korkunun ecele faydası yok," which could be translated as, “There is no point in fearing once one has already died,” and this is the case. Journalism is not a profession to be performed in fear.

What we face in Turkey now, though, is a regime that believes it can lead through fear. Let us not forget that those who are truly afraid are actually those who think this way.

CAFER SOLGUN (Cihan/Today's Zaman)