Emin Colasan: The non-reading Prime Minister

I watched with great interest the program hosted by Cuneyt Ozdemir on CNN-Turk, in which he spent 24 hours with the Prime Minister. Ozdemir asked the PM interesting questions. One of the answers even contained my name. But this is what I want to make clear first. The Prime Minister does not read. He admits this freely himself. His helpers bring him summaries of books. This includes novel summaries. It is not possible to even understand how a summary of a novel could be helpful or enlightening. When Ozdemir asks the Prime Minister whether he reads newspapers, and in particular the columns of writers who, from the very first day have been opposed to him (this is where my name comes in), the PM answer like this: "Not always. Especially not the judgemental ones. If my assistants think its necessary, they tell me. Then I read. Because I don't think it's anything but a waste of time to read things full of slander. There is no reason to tire myself out reading judgmental things."  Putting "judgemental" to one side, what does "slander" mean here? I say in my own name, I have never written anything slanderous. And if I had, the PM would have taken me to court many times. Most of what I write is documented. But it never gets a response from the administration, because it doesn't help them to respond. That's the truth.  How many journalists are there in the Turkish media who really criticize the AKP government with all their hearts? You can count them one by one, they don't outnumber the fingers on your two hands. Quite to the contrary, many publications support the administration. Honey-flavored praise practically drips from their headlines. And when it doesn't drip, there certainly isn't any criticism. They pretend not to see! Some of them are scared!  Now, what I want to say is that if a Prime Minister can admit in the current friendly media atmosphere that he doesn't read the writing of a journalist who criticizes him or his administration, a journalist whose writing is mostly based on documented fact, there is something big missing from the picture. I think that either:  1-He is not telling the truth....because he doesn't want to pump up the journalists who criticize him by making them think they are too important when they hear he is reading them 2-To the contrary, he reads them first thing in the morning, but he has no answer to the documented truths he sees every day, and doesn't know how to respond.  The second one is right I believe. I wish Recep Tayyip Erdogan many more reading-filled days in front of him. Let him set aside some time for reading. Let him read whatever comes his way, whether it be newspapers or books. Reading never hurt anyone. It only opens up horizons, and helps you to see the truth. Â