We do Not Apologize for Permanent Inconvenience We Cause to Coup Lovers
For several years now Turkey has been going through very critical and unforeseen dangers. Groups that cannot accept the democratic integration of a great majority of the society ― left in the periphery in the past ― into the system and this majority voicing claims to power as a result of this integration are developing plans one after another in order to undermine the democratic process.
Everyone has duties and responsibilities to ward off threats against democracy and to overcome this critical process without many problems. Media organizations have a major role to play in this quest. But how do these media organizations fare in performing this role?
Today's Zaman has been trying to perform these duties since it began being published about two-and-a-half years ago. During this period, it has tried to offer correct news reports and profound analyses/commentaries to Turkish and international readers about a number of critical events, including the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink; the killing of missionaries in Malatya; the invention of the unusual requirement of a quorum of 367, which was intended to block the presidential election; the midnight e-memorandum of April 27, 2007; the Republican Rallies; the closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party); the Constitutional Court overstepping its constitutional mandate in order to cancel amendments lifting a ban on wearing headscarves on university campuses; debates on minority rights; the recently introduced Ergenekon investigation; and the Kurdish issue.
It must be acknowledged that Today's Zaman has become highly successful in these efforts and has become a highly reliable source of news and information for its readers. This is well evidenced by the fact that Today's Zaman is out in the lead in the number of references made to it in academic studies on Turkey. With its dynamic journalism, extensive and diverse columnists and powerful commentary pages, Today's Zaman has become the primary source of information for those who seek to learn what really happens in this country and who do not want to have tunnel vision in understanding this country. It seems this Today's Zaman achievement has caused major inconveniences for certain groups. And there is no need to avoid mentioning who I refer to when I say "certain groups." I am referring to the elitist and power-holding minority and their representatives in the media, politics and civil society who shamelessly collaborate with the civilian-military bureaucracy that seeks to keep democracy forever under guardianship. They are groups that do not show the slightest hesitation before violating the rule of law and individual rights and freedoms and discrediting democracy and democratic institutions in order to maintain this guardianship.
Sweeping aside others and concentrating on my own sector, I can say that some media organizations who voluntarily act as the mouthpiece of this minority are considerably bothered by Today's Zaman's achievements. As an expression of their uneasiness about Today's Zaman, they exert special effort to defame Today's Zaman's reports ― which are always verified in due time ― and tell their distorted versions of these reports to local people. In this respect, these industrious efforts by the Milliyet newspaper, a paper of the Doğan Media Group ― well known to everyone for its barrenness in terms of democratic reflexes ― as well as some other media organizations controlled by the same group, are particularly noticeable.
This campaign to discredit in the eyes of the local public the highly reliable publications of Today's Zaman ― which has never hesitated and will never hesitate for one moment to call "evil" every plan and action that aims to undermine democracy and the rule of law ― is nothing but an expression of evident pity and helplessness. I, of course, do not expect them to criticize efforts by the English paper of their group to hide or obfuscate reports that are vitally important for this nation. I also do not expect them to criticize their stance, which pays lip service to democracy and pretends to be democratic, but at the same time lends support to antidemocratic and illegal plans. But, I think I deserve some fairness and some honesty and a more refined form of professional jealousy.
Very unusual news stories prepared by the Web site odatv.com from awfully bad translations of our news are not even worthy of mention. But we must note the story ―which evidentially intends to negatively inform certain places about us ― published by the Milliyet newspaper, which, I am now certain, closely follows our paper. Indeed, Milliyet loyally performs its duty of sending information about Today's Zaman to groups ready to take action ― be it illegal or illegitimate.
On Friday, Milliyet published a news story about our paper saying, "In the recently emerged document scandal, the English language paper Today's Zaman gives high credence to the thesis that the memorandum was prepared by the Turkish Armed Forces [TSK]. In its headlines, Today's Zaman does not allow even a slightest margin of doubt, but directly accuses the TSK about this institution. On June 13, immediately after the scandal in question broke out, the paper's headline concerning it was "Military's evil plot against the AK Party, Gülen exposed." Milliyet also said Today's Zaman had carried a story noting that "Hüsamettin Cindoruk was the candidate of the Ergenekon terrorist organization at the party congress of the DP [Democrat Party]."
Noting that the news story concerning Cindoruk had carried many more nuances than how it was reported by Milliyet, I can say that doubts about the authenticity of the evil plan, known as the "plan to finish off the AK Party and Gülen," have not been verified; rather, they grow weaker each day. By the way, I would expect Milliyet acting as an informer to tell Today's Zaman how it should behave. For instance, Milliyet may advise us to follow their example by turning a blind eye to attempts to overthrown the government, to advertise investigations against them as conspiracies trying to impute innocent people and to cover up, obfuscate and pretend that they do not exist or to advocate that they were false from the beginning.
I would like to end this article by quoting Ahmet Altan's column published in Taraf on Saturday. "After this document scandal broke out, I looked at newspapers and watched TV channels. And I said to myself, 'We must admit that our pashas are very gracious people.' If I were a pasha, I would conduct a military coup every month ― not four coups in 44 years ― given this media. There is a 'coup' plan at hand. Some are trying to cover it up, but failing, thereby confusing people's minds instead of trying to understand what this plan means."
I am sure Altan is not referring to Today's Zaman, but can Sedat Ergin also be sure he is not referring to Milliyet?
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