In Turkey, problems for press
In Turkey, the concept of a free press has devolved to a “Pravda-like” state, with 91 journalists in jail on charges of terrorist activity, and stories about corruption suppressed by the government, a prominent former editor said at the Harvard Kennedy School on Tuesday. “Reporting is not happening now. Everybody’s afraid,” said Ferai Tinç, who after 28 years left her position as foreign news editor and columnist for the daily Hürriyet in July 2011. Tinç said that since Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power a decade ago, Turkey’s thriving newspaper landscape has been reduced to a half-dozen pro-government media conglomerates and a handful of other papers that face pressure and censorship. “There are only official statements, only Pravda-like journalists,” she said. The International Press Institute, of which she is a board member, has reported that Turkey has more journalists in prison than any...