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WORLD NEWSSaturday 30 December 2017
Some countries reverse free expression, seeing it as threat
By VANESSA GERA
Associated Press
WARSAW, Poland (AP) —
Two Turkish journalists face
possible life sentences on
charges they sent “sublimi-
nal messages” on television
encouraging a govern-
ment coup. In Hungary,
oligarchs loyal to the prime
minister have gained con-
trol of much of the media
after the leading indepen-
dent newspaper was shut
down. And in Poland, a re-
porter is being threatened
with a military trial for writ- attacks could sow so much
ing a book critical of the
defense minister.
These are trying and dan-
gerous times for the me-
dia in countries that until
recently had begun em-
bracing democratic norms
of free expression. News
organizations are under
attack in dramatic ways,
as elected governments
turn public outlets into their
mouthpieces and try to si-
lence critical voices.
Michael Abramowitz, presi-
dent of democracy watch-
dog Freedom House, said
whether governments im-
prison journalists or flood
the public sphere with mis-
information, their goal is
the same — “to ensure that
negative coverage about
the regime is marginal-
ized and positive cover-
age dominates, especially
for the plurality of citizens
whose support you need to
continue to rule.”
In undermining free expres-
sion, some of these govern-
ments have portrayed the
press not as a pillar of a
democratic society but as
a threat to it.
It’s an issue of growing in-
terest in the U.S., where
President Donald Trump
condemns unfavorable
coverage as “fake news”
and brands journalists “en-
emies of the people.”
Lata Nott, executive direc-
tor of the First Amendment
Center at the Newseum In- coup in 1980. In the 1990s, media professionals are modeled on Russia and
stitute in Washington, said as Turkish forces clashed behind bars, many held in Turkey. The main indepen-
the threat in the U.S. is not with Kurdish fighters, the pretrial detention for more dent newspaper, Nepsz-
abadsag, closed last year
Demonstrators hold placards and copies of the Cumhuriyet daily newspaper as they stage a under political pressure,
protest outside a court where the trial of about a dozen employees of the newspaper on charges and most surviving media
of aiding terror groups, continues in Istanbul. In several countries news organizations are under groups are now controlled
attack in dramatic ways, as elected governments turn public outlets into their mouthpieces and by Orban allies. There are
try to silence critical voices. apparent attempts to in-
timidate reporters work-
(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) ing for international outlets
who have reported on a
that First Amendment press government barred the than a year. “From day state-sponsored campaign
protections will be directly media from criticizing its one, the government has against Hungarian-Amer-
overturned, but that the actions or producing sto- used the coup attempt to ican investor and philan-
administration’s continued ries deemed sympathetic go after its critics, and the thropist George Soros. Or-
to the Kurds. State security spectrum of repression has ban opposes immigration,
distrust that attempts to un- forces also killed several re- gone well beyond the real particularly by Muslims, and
dermine the media will be- porters covering the con- suspects,” said Johann Bihr, claims that Soros wants to
come accepted. She cited flict. Some progress came also with Reporters With- flood Europe with migrants.
Trump’s suggestion earlier in the early 2000s when Tur- out Borders. Among those Soros, a Holocaust survivor,
this year that the govern- key embraced reforms in imprisoned are journalists has long promoted what
ment could challenge the hope of joining the Eu- Ahmet Altan and his broth- he calls an “open society”
NBC’s broadcast license, ropean Union, but matters er Mehmet, also an aca- and supports controlled
after he was angered by a deteriorated dramatically demic. They face possible migration. He funds a uni-
national security story. under President Recep life sentences if found guilty versity in Budapest and
In theory, Turkey, Hungary Tayyip Erdogan. of terrorism, attempting to civic organizations, includ-
and Poland also guarantee The July 2016 overthrow at- overthrow the government ing some seen as critical of
freedom of speech and of tempt intensified repression and “giving subliminal mes- Orban. A pro-government
the press. The principles of journalists and was part sages in favor of a coup on website recently published
were enshrined in the Pol- of a broader purge by Er- television.” a list of eight journalists
ish and Hungarian constitu- dogan that has targeted Turkey’s government in- working for the news out-
tions following the collapse tens of thousands of peo- sists none of the journalists lets Politico, Bloomberg
of communism in 1989, and ple. More than 150 media are on trial for their work and Reuters whom it called
in Turkey’s constitution de- organizations have been but for aiding terror groups “propagandists” for So-
cades earlier. closed down. and other crimes. In Hun- ros. Orban also asked the
Despite those protections, Erol Onderoglu, a represen- gary, Prime Minister Viktor country’s spy agencies to
many reporters in Turkey tative of Reporters Without Orban has been in power investigate journalists and
were jailed amid a crack- Borders in Turkey, said 122 since 2010, building what others involved in what he
down following a military reporters, writers and other he calls an “illiberal state” calls a “Soros network.”
Poland’s right-wing popu-
list government, in power
for two years, has been re-
peatedly condemned by
the European Union and
others for eroding judicial
independence. It also has
taken firm control of the
public media, purging jour-
nalists seen as too liberal or
as opposing the govern-
ment. The public media
now operates as a propa-
ganda tool for the ruling
right-wing party. The head
of state television defends
its approach, saying it’s
just acting as a “counter-
weight” to the critical cov-
erage of the privately run
stations.q