Turkish journalists should use ‘language of peace,’ report says

ANKARA

Journalists should use a “peaceful rather than contentious language” upholding peace, democracy and human rights amid the upsurge in violence across Turkey, according to a monthly report released by the Ankara-based Association of Journalists Press for Freedom Project (PfF) on Aug. 14.

“Journalists should use a language of peace rather than confrontation,” says the PfF’s July 2015 report.

The report says news items full of “hate speech” are frequently published, while many media groups publish articles directly targeting other media groups. “The statements of some politicians made against various publication and broadcasting groups are being widely published, leading to consequences as inappropriate as they are worrying,” it stated. 

Underscoring the importance of “solidarity” between journalists and different media outlets in Turkey amid the continued jailing of journalists, violent attacks against media personnel, and the censorship of more than 100 websites since late July, the report states that “in the prevailing tense environment in the country, upholding peace, democracy and human rights must be the duty and responsibility of journalists.”

The report notes that the Presidency of Telecommunication and Communication (TİB), Turkey’s top telecommunications body, has blocked access to more than 100 websites for purported links to the Kurdish political movement and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), simultaneous with recent anti-terror operations against PKK members that have escalated since last month.

Access restrictions on websites, social platforms and a number of Twitter accounts have been approved by orders issued by a criminal court of peace without delay, the report adds. 

The report comes less than a month after Turkey’s Press Council stated that “censorship is still in place in Turkey,” noting that the country was “ranked 149th out of 199 countries in press freedom reports,” with 21 journalists currently in jail and a large number of ongoing cases filed against journalists.