Turkish military’s media ‘black list’ prompts probe

A revelation by a Turkish magazine of the existence of a list that classified journalists on the basis of their perceived attitude towards Turkey’s powerful military establishment has prompted a judicial inquiry as well as widespread outrage in the country’s media. The 17-page report listing journalists depending on their alleged ‘pro-military’ or ‘anti-military’ bias was published on Thursday by the magazine Nokta. The Turkish military has not denied the existence of the document and has launched a judicial probe to discover who leaked the ‘black list’ to the magazine. The document, dated November 2006, was prepared by the Office of the Chief of General Staff Public and Press Relations Bureau and is entitled ‘A reassessment of accredited press and media organs’. Journalists and media organisations that want to follow the activities of the Office of the Chief of General Staff need to be accredited by the office. The document lists all the country’s mainstream national broadcast and print media outlets and journalists, categorising them according to their comments and reports on the Turkish military. It also includes comments and recommendations on whether the media accreditation handed out to individuals should be granted, denied or revoked. (AKI News,March 12, 2007)

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