Media split on Erdoğan 7

"We have not changed reporters due to the Prime Ministry's order. We are not designating new reporters until satisfactory reasoning arrives," stated Daily Vatan, whose reporter Veli Toprak has been denied accreditation. Vatan announced it would not give new names to the Prime Minister's press office.

"We call on all other media to react similarly against this barbaric behavior," wrote Güngör Mengi, chief columnist of daily Vatan. Four other columnists of the newspaper also knocked Prime Minister Erdoğan in their articles.

Pro-government daily Zaman, however, spared no room for the Prime Ministry's decision that targetted the field reporters.

The only pro-government media to criticize the cancellation of accreditation was daily Sabah yesterday. Although there was no news story on the decision, senior columnist Nazlı Ilıcak voiced a reaction. "The Prime Minister's office is taking action against journalists, not against institutions, on grounds they wrote something unwanted, or asked provocative questions," Ilıcak said.


PM's press watchdog under spotlight
A critical profile on Akif Beki, spokesman of the Prime Ministry who is said to be the mastermind of the cancellation scheme, was published in yesterday's daily Milliyet. Beki, a former Ankara bureau chief for pro-government Kanal 7, often railed reporters over their stories, contacting their bureau chiefs.

"Although he is a former journalist and now assigned to informing the press, he does not respond to calls from reporters," wrote Milliyet. Beki was also blamed for having a discriminatory approach, often inviting representatives from pro-government media to Erdoğan's private plane during overseas visits.

Meanwhile, Akif Beki issued a written statement late Wednesday, defending the recent decision, stating it was in accordance with transparent and objective criteria applied in advanced democracies.

He refuted allegations the accreditation were canceled due to critical and adverse reporting, and said the cancellation was for false reporting. Pro-government Yeni Şafak published only a short story reporting on Beki's statement.

"This arbitrary decision of the Prime Ministry is in fact a reflection of pressure placed on reporters. It is intimidating to all reporters who follow the prime minister," wrote Fikret Bila, Ankara bureau chief of Milliyet.

Bila said he was not sure whether this decision was taken by the will of Erdoğan, but called on the prime minister to revise it.

International press institutions urge transparency
Meanwhile, World Association of Newspapers, or WAN's Press Freedom and Development Programmes Director Virginie Jouan speaking to Hürriyet Daily News, said depriving journalists of accreditation because of questions they asked, would be alarming. "The accreditation process, whether granting it or withdrawing it, should be fully transparent and never arbitrary," she said.

A senior EU official speaking to Milliyet said EU institutions are criticized by hundreds of journalists everyday. "This is the rule of the game. If a similar approach to that of Turkish Prime Ministry was applied there, there would be no reporters left in Brussels," the official said.

EU-Turkey Parliamentary Comittee's Co-chair Joost Lagendijk speaking to daily Milliyet said the ban was further evidence of the lack of tolerance the prime minister has to criticism. "An incorrect strategy that I would never recommend to anyone."

Turkey's ex-president and prime minister, Süleyman Demirel, commented on the ban, underlining discrimination against the media should be shameful to officials. "Media and politicians are complementary to each other," he said yesterday.