Hürriyet slams ‘media terror’ targeting the newspaper

ISTANBUL

In an editorial published on Aug. 1, daily Hürriyet slammed an organized campaign based on lies in the pro-government media trying to link the newspaper to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

“The stories Hürriyet ran in the face of the latest terror wave by the PKK, the newspaper’s position are obvious,” read the editorial.

“As a newspaper that has lost an editor-in-chief in a terrorist attack, Hürriyet has always firmly stood against terrorism. We will continue to do so from now on wherever terrorism stems from.”

The editorial also slammed a new kind of “media terror.”

“Another side of the problem is the launch of a media inspectorship, trying to dictate other newspapers which story should be reported how,” it said. 

“As such, the independent media is trying to be suppressed in an environment of psychological terrorism. It will not be a mistake to characterize this as media terror.

"Our country is going through critical times during which ISIL and PKK terrorism has been added to many serious problems it has to deal with. To be subjected to such media terror at this time is a price unique to Turkey independent journalism should pay. Media terror will not achieve its targets.

“We will let no one question either our stance against terrorism or our love for Turkey,” the editorial read.