http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/yazarDetay.do?haberno=104921
Attention: There are supposedly 'suicide bombers' among us
"Accreditation is not a simple 'entry pass,' it is rather a 'reliability
inspection' journalists are supposed to undergo to be able to attend Turkish
Armed Forces (TSK) press briefings. Since 'unreliable journalists' are
likely to serve separatist and destructive movements as spies, assassins and
even suicide bombers, they are denied access!" The above paragraph was
published in the latest issue of the weekly news magazine Nokta in relation
to a new "memorandum" from the TSK categorizing the Turkish media,
essentially giving them "grades" for negative profiling of the military. The
discrimination practiced by the TSK against the Turkish media for 10 years
-- no better than apartheid in South Africa -- was on the front page of
Nokta and put the ignominy of military accreditation up for discussion.
Since I myself am subjected to this discrimination in accreditation, I, in a
way, have the right to respond.
After all, I don't think that the TSK, which I finance through the taxes I
pay, where I fulfilled my military service, of whose heroic acts past and
present I'm proud of, and to whom I will willingly and lovingly send my son
for military service, has the right to categorize and subject the media, of
which I'm a proud member, in such an unrealistic, prejudiced and humiliating
manner.
Given wide coverage by the magazine, the three-page memorandum points out
that the military's accreditation practice will continue and that secret
reports and profiles are currently being drawn up on the accredited media,
too. Because I'm not a member of the accredited media and am categorized as
an outcast, I cannot be fully sure whether my accredited colleagues, some of
whom receive high grades and some low, following very comprehensive
deliberations, are disconcerted by this practice or are in fact proud of
their report cards.
The following startling information is also put forward as justification for
the accreditation memorandum: "With the 'accreditation' inspections of media
and press companies initiated by the General Staff in 1997, the attendance
of media companies who were found to have low reliability levels to
activities organized by the TSK was limited, and thus the military ensured
that only the members of the press who met the reliability criteria of the
TSK could attend those activities. This way, the media activities of the TSK
were protected from the provocations of members of media companies
supporting separatist and destructive movements, from their attempts to
deliberately misinform the public, and these people were prevented from
entering military zones, units and facilities and thus from obtaining
intelligence to be conveyed to separatist and destructive elements; as a
result they were prevented from harming military units, facilities,
materials and personnel."
The lack of certain information on which media companies are subject to the
accreditation system appears to be plausible justification for an
environment teeming with spies in journalists' disguise, as if at war,
replete with suicide bombers, assassins and saboteurs. However, neither is
Turkey such a country nor are the companies and members of those companies
discriminated against involved in such destructive and separatist
activities.
How could dozens of journalists who are famous for their long-standing
reliability, TV stations such as STV and Kanal 7, which reach millions and
which have never broadcast such separatist or destructive programs, the
Zaman daily, which addresses millions of readers with its daily circulation
of over 600,000, and other papers such as Yeni ªafak, Star and Bugün, which
all reach hundreds of thousands every day, be associated with the above
justification?
Let's imagine the worst and suppose that there are in fact separatist and
destructive broadcasts and publications against the TSK and that some people
are indeed seeking to harm the TSK through suicide bombings and sabotage.
Would it not be more appropriate for the TSK to resort to legal means
instead of this humiliating and primitive practice aimed at besmirching and
denigrating those who it thinks are its enemies?
Are the TSK members and what they do a divine dogma so much so that those
praising the military and its members regardless of what they do are
approved, whereas the media members who exercise their rights to criticize
and assess in accordance with the action and event are punished? Isn't this
an arbitrary practice that can be found in primitive systems far from
institutionalization?
In fact my real targets with these words are the accredited media members
who allegedly work for the civil and democratic development of the country
and who are supposed to exercise their freedom and right to expression and
criticism. Is it not high time that this injustice is eradicated? Today are
you not having a hard time applauding this discrimination against others, or
keeping quiet even though you may not be outwardly applauding? How can you
be sure that you will be able to find supporters when a similar calamity
strikes you tomorrow? Are you not ashamed in the slightest of benefiting
from a right that is not up for grabs?
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Brooks Isoldi, editor
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