One of the most popular subjects of debate in recent days is ‘press freedom’…
As all these discussions were taking place, I thought just one thing: “Am I living in a different country, or are the people debating it?”
First, let’s talk about what the media is: As a mass communication tool, the media acts with an awareness of protecting the public interest while informing the public! (Or at least it should…) Since this is a very sensitive process, the public can sometimes be influenced not only by changing the information, but even by the way it is presented… This is where the power of the media comes into play. In other words, the media is such a powerful force that even when something is untrue, it can play with your perceptions and draw you together around an issue. This is why ethical values matter in the media!
So, what is the state of the media in our country?
The economic situation for a media sector whose only source of income is advertising: We have an economy that produces nothing and only imports and sells goods for consumption. As a result, advertising rates are low and the advertising pie is quite small!
The partners in the pie: My small country is experiencing serious media inflation. More than 10 newspapers, a growing number of television channels, and a corresponding increase in radio stations.
The power of the media: In our country, where almost every political party owns a newspaper or radio station (and will soon have television stations too), the media’s power to convince is low because of biased reporting! In addition, ‘my free(!) media’, unable to get its share of the advertising pie in proportion to its needs, is once again constrained in its efforts to become powerful! Under these circumstances, with the exception of the Star Kıbrıs Media Group—which has no financial problems—and one or two other groups, every outlet is trying to create financial opportunities to escape this squeeze by staying close to the governing and/or opposition parties. The ones who suffer are the public, who want information, and press workers. While the public cannot get accurate information from media outlets that report impartially and with a sense of public duty, press workers are left struggling with the difficulty of being caught in the middle.
How convincing does it sound to you to talk about the freedom of media outlets that are forced to establish an organic relationship with politics for financial reasons? And how can media outlets be free when they have no financial resources and are left dependent on a single news source (the TAK Agency)?
To our politicians, who are so eager to talk about ‘press freedom’—a subject brought up for debate in recent days for the well-known reason—and who are shouting about it, let me offer my humble thoughts as someone who has worked in the TRNC media for nearly ten years: Low quality in the media can be eliminated by introducing certain standards; this would also resolve the problem of an ‘oversupply of outlets’. In addition, the state collects taxes, a YYK (High Broadcasting Council) share, and so on from the low-value advertisements that are obtained with great difficulty. These charges could very well be abolished. The state could even allocate funds to support media outlets (equally).
As a member of the media, I would prefer our politicians to say what they will do to protect press freedom, rather than make statements such as ‘press freedom cannot be restricted’.
Or is there a distinction here too between ‘your free press’ and ‘my free press’?
Anyway, we’ll discuss ‘your press’ and ‘my press’—or, as it’s popularly known, ‘pro-government media’—on Thursday.
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