Erol Nezih Orhon

Question: What did Erdoğan's entry into government mean for journalism in Turkey?

 

Answer: For the past 50 years, Turkish media has been very polarized. Until the early 2000s (when the AKP party started ruling), the mainstream Turkish media was either in favor of the central right, the central left or between central liberalism. But after 2000, following the arrival of the conservative government, this changed. 80% of those media outlets were sold to different companies that had ties with the conservatives, so they started to be controlled by the ruling party, in this case, Erdoğan's party.

 

The new journalism that is developed in digital media, in social networks or on the Internet, has very little freedom. For example, if a journalist writes an article or posts something on Twitter (now X) criticizing some issues related to the government, he is arrested. But don't think that this detention happens at a normal time of the day; rather, journalists in this country are detained during while they are sleeping at home at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning and taken to the police department.

 

This is the general atmosphere: there is very little oxygen for journalism in Turkey because there is very strong pressure control and a lot of self-censorship because people are afraid. Turkey is considered an unfree country, both for freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

 

 

Q: What are some of the most significant changes you have seen in Turkish journalism during your career?

 

A: People who are like me (over 50 years old) used to come home from work around 8 p.m. and turn on the TV to see what they were telling in the news. However, today we watch Twitter (now X) and follow certain Internet media. So, basically, Turkey has followed what the world has practiced: changing the way journalism is consumed. That's why, for example, five years ago I turned my TV journalism course into a subject where students learned how to do journalism on Instagram, because that's where the target audience is.

 

In the past, before the 2000s, Turkish media published news without giving power to public opinion. However, today for certain things I do see that they do give that space to public opinion. For example, when there is a case of violence against a woman and a judge interrogates him and releases him, the media (especially the digital media) start to inform the public and investigate on their own to give the public all the necessary information. In this way, they manage to establish public opinion, which usually makes the news of the individual's release go viral and starts an “activism” for his imprisonment. In some cases, this controversial dissemination manages to put the accused in jail. That is the power of journalism in digital media, in my opinion.

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Q: How has the political climate in Turkey affected journalism in the country?

 

A: I think it's a very short answer: it has affected it very negatively. Very negatively because the current government is not going to allow giving a single media space to any other opinion contrary to theirs. Also, they want to control all the courts and so it reflects journalism as well. I mean, Turkey surpassed the number of journalists arrested in China or Iran for several years in a row. Turkey was the leading country in arrests, so I think this says something about the situation between politics and journalism in Turkey.

 

 

Q: What was journalism like before Erdoğan?

 

A: Before Erdoğan there were TV programs that did investigative journalism. So they would investigate public officials or politicians about what kind of ugly things they were doing and we could all see it. Also journalists were writing books about politicians, about prime ministers or how dirty their relationships were. I mean, before Erdoğan, we had a very notable prime minister and journalists were writing books about him, talking good or bad, criticizing him and putting documents in the books. That was available to the public. Also politicians could go on TV, discuss among themselves: left, right, this and that. Today you can't see the leading members of the government debating with the opposition. Nor can you see a journalist writing a book without being arrested. So, unfortunately, there is no platform left for free exchange, but in the past it was possible. That's why many young people, for example, were so excited about being journalists because they could see that “here I can have a place,” but today, you are either a toy or you put your life on the line.

 

 

Q: Before publishing any kind of information, does it have to go through a government filter?

 

A: Not exactly. Unfortunately, journalism and journalists in Turkey have developed a very strong self-censorship. They know what could cause a problem and they don't publish it, but there is also a kind of criticism from the public that some media outlets have strong ties with people in the government and that certain headlines are created toward their interests. For example, when major events happen in this country, all of a sudden you see the same headlines. I mean, this is impossible, you can't see eight newspapers at the same time with the same headline. And that's where you see what's going on.

 

 

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges facing journalists in Turkey today?

 

A: One has to do with politics, which I explained earlier, because your life is going to be based on your election. I would say the other challenge is adapting to the structure of journalism, because the way journalism is conducted today is different from a few years ago. I mean, I think there is a great need for Turkish journalists to understand how the new professional industry can be built in digital media and the way they can generate economic income. I think there is a great need to understand and adapt to that formula.

 

 

Q: In what type of media do you think there is more censorship?

 

A: I would say television or digital media, because they have different practices. Different organizations are filtering them to control what they publish, that is, they are censoring them. We have an organization called the Higher Council of Radio-Television (Radyo ve Televizyon Üst Kurulu), which immediately stops the broadcasting of radios and televisions when they see that they are not doing the right thing. For example, a soap opera was on air that criticized some conservative topics, so this organization came with the excuse that radio and TV have very high costs and they said that this series has too much violence against women, so they paused the program for five weeks. As you can see, they love to embellish everything with lies. Another example would be during the first days after the February 2023 earthquake. Suddenly Twitter (now X) stopped working in Turkey. There was so much harsh criticism against the government and the media and journalists were sharing many very interesting photos, many realities of what was happening in the seismic zones, that they stopped the social networks from working.

 

I have to emphasize one thing: if you tell me now to prove that there is censorship, I cannot prove it. Even if I am giving you these examples, I can give you many others and everyone knows that it exists, there is no way to prove it.

 

 

Q: How is the relationship between journalism and the government in Turkey?

 

A: They always had a close relationship. The media was a tool for the government's interests, but now it is a tool of control.

 

 

Q: Within this censorship, are there any media outlets that are against the government's actions?

 

A: Of course there are, although there are few, since the situation for them is very difficult. Some examples are Diken, Duvar, T24 and Sosyu. The latter I think is the strongest, because it represents a strong opposition.

 

 

Q: What is the reality of these opposition media?

 

A: They suffer great censorship and persecution. I feel very bad for them, because life is not easy for them. They always have to tiptoe around everything they publish so as not to overdo it and get into trouble. They suffer a lot of pressure from the government, authorities, police, regulatory agencies or provocateurs. They do a really tough job, but I think it's also necessary.

 

 

Q: How would you compare the level of press freedom in Turkey with other countries around it?

 

A: Research already says it, it is one of the countries that arrests the most journalists. Also, if you check publications from any international journalists' committee or other agencies, you will see that Turkey is talked about as a country that is not free. For example, ten or fifteen years ago, just at the beginning of the government, Turkey was partly free, which is not the case now.

 

Answering your questions gets me in trouble. It shouldn't be like that, teachers should be free to say what they think as long as they don't hurt anyone. Just to tell you what I think, I am an enemy of the state, plus I am considered to be cooperating with outside forces and you would also be a public enemy of the state. This is the way they are going to pigeonhole our conversation right now, when we should be free to express our opinion, thoughts and even criticize the government if we think they are doing things wrong.

 

 

Q: What are some of the ethical challenges Turkish journalists face and how do you respond to them?

 

A: I have a particular example to answer this. With how careful you have to be when writing about what happens anywhere in the country, imagine a student of mine has an incident with someone from the campus security staff and wants to write an article about what happened. What should the professors tell him? If we tell him to pick a slightly safer topic, are we really teaching students journalism? The point here is that we journalism professors should be the first ones to raise our voices, but we can only look the other way when things like censorship, arrests or media shutdowns happen.

 

 

Q: How do Turkish journalists balance the demands of the audience with the need to be objective in their work?

 

A: If you have a very strong government that controls everything, journalism becomes partisan. A significant number of journalists and media outlets that are supported, controlled or have relations with the government simply produce partisan journalism, everything they publish is in favor of the government. The rest of the opposition says that they, unlike the others, are doing independent journalism, but since they have to reach their own audience, in the end they also do their own partisan journalism. So, unfortunately, journalism in Turkey is like soccer journalism: either you are a Real Madrid fan and you do the stories in relation to them or you are a Barcelona fan and you know all the stories about Barcelona and you comfort your own audience. I think that's what we can call it, soccer journalism, metaphorically. So there is no middle ground because your audience wants you to criticize the other. In my opinion, one of the big problems of today's journalism in Turkey is called verification error: you follow the media that says what you think, because they actually confirm what you think and you feel good because you think you have the absolute truth of everything, when you just haven't read beyond what you are interested in.

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Q: What role do social media and citizen journalism play in Turkey's media landscape?

 

A: I think especially social networks are fundamental in journalism today, because if by any chance you try to block the operation of any social network, it would generate public distrust. Still, on the Internet it is always possible to use another social network or channel, or even create a new website, so there will always be ways to express an opinion. In Turkey in particular, the Internet gives you many ways to find and share your content, because they immediately block anything that is contrary to the government's ideas.

 

 

Q: What are some of the most important stories or events that journalists have covered in Turkey in recent years?

 

A: The latest one after the pandemic has been the earthquake of February 6, 2023. The first stories were very critical of the government and its management before and after the earthquake, so they immediately shut down Twitter (now X) to prevent the population from believing what the media was commenting about the government.

 

 

Q: How do you think Turkish journalists are able to balance the need to report objectively with the potential risks of reporting on controversial or sensitive topics?

 

A: In my opinion, we should call Turkish journalists, especially those who try to maintain their impartiality, balancers. Journalists in Turkey walk on a rope between two buildings and they have to make smart moves, because if they make false steps it can be terrible for them. It is very hard, difficult and exhausting to keep that balance between being objective and talking about things that can get them in trouble.

 

 

Q: Have you experienced any censorship situations?

 

A: I don't know if you can call it censorship, but with the current dean I suffer censorship to a certain extent. We have totally different world views and he doesn't talk to me. Also, he doesn't readily accept what my students want to do. In short, making things difficult starts from the personal and extrapolates to the professional world? So censorship in this country happens everywhere, to a greater or lesser extent.

 

 

Q: What do you think should change to make journalism freer in Turkey?

 

A: I think from childhood we should be able to train young people and make them have a kind of critical thinking. Critical thinking is very important in my opinion and I have to say proudly that my roots are from the island of Crete and we call it critikos, so I teach critical thinking as an essential thinking in my life.

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Q: Do you know any journalist around you who has gone to jail?

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A: We have a student who graduated from our faculty who made films and documentaries on social issues and is now in jail. She was not arrested while she was a student, but later, when she was doing a professional job. If the elections bring about some kind of change, she will most likely be released from jail. What do you think? The judicial system depends on election results. How sad.

 

 

Q: How many years can a journalist be in jail?

 

A: It depends on how much they hate you (laughs). It depends on how much you threaten them, but it can be two years, five, ten, twenty or a lifetime. They create excuses to free you.

 

 

Q: And, in the case of this student you mentioned before, how long is she going to be in prison?

 

A: She was imprisoned a little over a year ago. Who knows how long she will be because, even if they give you a certain sentence, they can extend the time as long as they want. She was in Germany and she came to Turkey for the trial, because she knew she was innocent, and they arrested her and put her in jail. I mean, normally if you were in Germany, would you come? Most likely not. She said she would come because she had done nothing wrong.

 

 

Q: Have you ever been afraid to speak out or to publish information because of retaliation?

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A: Yes, 100 percent. You always ask yourself questions, “Should I write it like this? Should I use this word? Oh, okay, I'd rather not publish this article.” And after a while you start playing it safe, you stick to writing standard risk-free stories. For example, I have a weekly program for one of the most important news stations in Turkey, NTV, and I only produce very nice stories, no critical stories because the editor immediately warns me, “No, we can't talk about that.”

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Q: In reporting on the February 6, 2023 earthquake, has there been any censorship by the government in giving information about the number of dead or injured or, also, whose fault was it that the buildings were in that condition?

 

A: Today, a significant part of the Turkish population does not trust figures and statistics. It has been the case with earthquakes, it has been the case with pandemics and it has been the case with inflation rates. I mean, let's imagine that a communication agency announces an inflation rate of 55-60% per year in Turkey, but some organizations formed by academics or scientists say that the real inflation in this country is 160%. So who do you believe?

 

Even if one wanted to get an exact figure of deaths in the earthquake, the statistics and numbers are controlled by the authorities. If any journalist wants access to one of the earthquake affected areas, they can't just go, as a permit is needed to interview people. Therefore, the people interviewed will say that the government has done everything it can, that it has provided everything. The other day there was a storm all over the country and many people still living in tents lost their tents, some people died, some people were injured just because of a heavy storm. Two months later, some people are still living in tents and containers, but they would tell you that the management is being excellent.

 

 

Q: How do you think Turkish media is adapting to the digital age?

 

A: I would say quite well. I think it is the population that is not adapting well, because when a media outlet forces you to subscribe to continue reading news, Turks wonder why they have to pay if they don't trust the content. I believe that there is a great need for support for quality journalism and that at some point it will create its own economic model. So, yes it will be able to generate a profit from what it does, but right now it is very limited.

 

 

Q: How have Turkish journalists responded to the increasing polarization of society in recent years?

 

A: Well, everybody is defined by what they do or say, so you have to be able to accept your category. Are you with the government or are you with the opposition? I think the way you deal with current events is how you're going to maintain your identity as a journalist, and it's very difficult, because you get categorized immediately. So I think journalists today have to be able to understand and execute how they can manage this categorization, because they will immediately categorize you as opposition.

 

 

Q: How do you think the international community views the situation of journalism in Turkey?

 

A: I am sure that a large number of international platforms, organizations and countries are very sad about what is happening in Turkey. Some of them try to make some efforts, like Germany, the United States, France or some international NGOs. They have projects, they cooperate with people or with organizations, but the problem is that the moment they see you in relation to them, you are a public enemy, and you are an external force that wants to do ugly things for Turkey. They immediately label you. For example, I am 100% sure that I am considered a special agent for the Americans, because I always carry out international projects with media outlets outside Turkey.

 

 

Q: In your opinion, what would have to change for the government and the media to have a more cooperative and productive relationship?

 

A: I think the authorities should not be there to limit or regulate or censor, but to let free information flow perfectly. I think they should stop seeing the media, journalists and journalism as a tool for their interests, consider them as a toy or a way or a platform to manipulate.

 

 

Q: Do you think that if the opposition wins in the next elections, will the situation of journalism in Turkey change?

 

A: I genuinely believe that there will be a significant amount of change.

 

 

Q: In the opposition's political program, have they put anything or said anything about the changes they want to make for journalism?

 

A: I don't think they have a specific program for journalism, even though it is a big issue in the country. Even so, it should be emphasized that the opposition is a group of parties, so there are opinions of all colors. I don't think they are going to prohibit the dissemination of information to media contrary to their ideas, but I do feel that there will be more oxygen in the air.

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Q: Do you think the opposition has a chance of winning this time?

 

A: There are possibilities. These may be the last elections in which we can change something, because the opposition is very strong and there are more and more young people tired of the situation that keeps repeating itself election after election. However, I ask myself: would “the man” dare to lose the elections? Because if you know you are going to lose the elections and you are such a brutal person? would you make those choices?​