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Dear WAN members,
I would like to welcome the Executive Commitee members and all other members of WAN to Istanbul. You are gathered here in Istanbul to attend the WAN meeting.
We truly hope the Conference turns out to be a success mainly for the sake of "Freedom of Press" and for the fundamental values of WAN.
We also hope you have a really good time in this beautiful city and share its pleasures with us during your short stay.
Finding the opportunity with the Istanbul Conference, we decided to write this letter to invite your attention on some particular issues concerning us (and you) for due contemplation.
It is known that Mr. Aydın Doğan, the owner of the largest media group in our country will be at WAN board representing "Turkey Newspaper Owners Union".
Again, Mr. Ertuğrul Özkök is to represent Turkey at the board of the World Editors Forum within your organization.
It might certainly seem as naturally for such influential personae to be at those places because of their capacities and positions.
But despite, representation of two substantial positions of WAN by a holding boss and a newspaper executive who serves as the chairman of that Holding's media group from a nation such as Turkey, puts WAN to an awkward position as though being under influence of "Doğan Group's private realm"; and despite, someone like Mr. Doğan's daughter, who is not a journalist but merely an administrative executive of the Group's newspaper, should have a seat at the management of International Press Institute (IPI) that is commonly known to be an organization of journalists with which you maintain close ties and good cooperation, appears somehow odd!
We couldn't keep ourselves from emphasizing the following pointers, no matter how unnecessary they might appear to you.
As you are well aware, among the basic principles and duties of WAN are: "Defending and promoting the freedom of press and economical independence of newspapers as an essential condition of that freedom; opposing restrictions of all kinds on the free flow of information, circulation of newspapers and on advertising, aggressive and persistent campaigning against violations and restrictions of press freedom through missions, protests, online petitions and e-mail campaigns."
We know that WAN stands firm against all violations of press freedom wherever that might occur with full commitment within the framework of its values and tasks. Such is the case in all its functions, be it extremely blatant violations or, for instance, as it was in the case of Mexico where "monetary fines and libels constrain the freedom of the press".
Despite all that, however, shall we say "paradox", "inconsistency" or "incoherency" we don't know, but we still wonder, are you really aware of the role of Mr. Doğan as a newspaper boss (beg your pardon, we should say the proprietor of 6 daily newspapers, one daily sports illustrated and two large national TV channels, a large publishing house, a multitude of periodicals and an extensive distribution network, plus a financial-editorial sponsor of two "quasi-independent" daily papers) in enactment of a Press Law that is identical to then one passed in Mexico?
We are talking about the Law for Supreme Council for Radio and Television and the pertinent Press Law, which had been vetoed by the President of the Republic due to its predisposition to "instigate monopolization and restricting the freedom of press", and which was subsequently passed verbatim by the previous Government anew, to avoid a second veto by the President, and its many articles being challenged by the President at the Constitutional Court. Although the present Government had tried to rearrange this Press Law to transform its articles with more liberalistic counterparts, it was unfortunately enacted in form and spirit as solely willed by Mr. Doğan, consequent of his agreement with the Government to impose "exorbitant fines and stands as the Damocles' sword over the neck of the national media with deadly consequences".
The articles of the Law that stood as flagrant breaches of the freedom of press had never been criticized by his Group's newspapers and TV stations for the sake of his companies and the Group; on the contrary, they had been adamantly defended through his media channels. The columnists had been strictly warned not to write any articles disapproving that Law, and the editors, mainly led by Mr. Özkök, published speculative news supporting the Law with great enthusiasm and simultaneously censuring any opposite views, and wielding the media clout to silence the national MPs contradicting the Law.
In addition, the former coalition Government had been openly backed up for at least two years, a deep and concentrated auto-censure had been implemented to facilitate its business in enacting that law.
All these had happened despite precise and harsh criticism from the professional organizations, and even at the cost of dismissing some journalists, which did not want to comply with such auto-censure.
We don't know how you might weight all these events, but such dire incident have indeed left their indelible mark on our memories as "one of the worst national betrayals of the history of the Turkish press."
We would like to remind you that IPA and which WAN is a member of and which IFEX is associated, the International Pen and many other professional organizations have categorically dismissed that Law as a "serious stumbling block for the freedom of expression, and an evident transgression of the freedom of press under the European Right Convention."
We have no idea whether your members have ever felt the need of inquiring Mr. Doğan about these facts?
Here, it is the high time for us to add a note of self-criticism about the past.
Sabah Newspaper, within which we are now addressing your good selves had struggled under influence of, led and closely controlled by the prime media mogul Aydın Doğan, that is caused also due to the unfortunate impact of the disastrous banking business Sabah has involved in because of imprudent patronage, blundering editorial management cadres and wrong decision making had all took their turns then.
And if these failures are dishonorable and shameful, Sabah had shared them. But the circumstances which enabled us now to write all about these outspokenly have been possible as a result of happy coincidence and developments in journalism.
In the light of a serious of agreements and commitments made with the relevant State authorities regarding debt service on its past obligations, Sabah and its associated publications, which had been forced to yield to Mr. Doğan's influence and, which he has long since yearned to "swallow", so to speak, now has attained an entirely different management structure. In short "patronage" has changed.
Furthermore, the editorial executives who had played decisive roles to cause this newspaper derailed away from its journalistic path, have resigned from the company and started publishing rival papers within such a short time as a matter of a day.
The obscured intent was to publish a fake Sabah and send the company to the bottom. And unfortunately again, this operation was planned and managed by Mr. Doğan from the management of WAN, among which tenets stands "keeping the newspapers alive". He had actually encouraged and financed this scheme.
As it had dawned on him that he could not grab Sabah, this time he tried siphoning money from it and planned to destroy Sabah by founding a fake newspaper.
Since that sinister bend, not ever forgetting its past blunders, and learning its lesson from the hard way as such, but at the same time breaking loose from the influence of the past, Sabah has attained a robust structure and nurtured the tenet of serving only for the benefit of independent journalism. Its circulation that stood at the brink of collapse, its nearly depleted advertising income, and its battered self-esteem started to recover mainly with precious appreciation of its readers.
We are appealing to you from this newspaper that Mr. Doğan still can not stomach, and would again try everything to bust, restrain, and damage, by flagrantly breaching the principal values and mission of WAN, where he sadly serves as a manager.
Mr. Doğan who, once upon a time, had stealthily achieved controlling directly or indirectly nearly 80% of the total national circulation of the daily papers, also controlling at least a similar percentage of the total media adds nationwide, and thundering as the sole domineering voice that imposes undue distribution costs to the publications and extra charges to the news vendors with its "cartel", more accurately with its "monopolistic" company, is furious for this new phenomenon.
For, he acts as though he himself finances a newspaper that he can not own; because, he can not digest his companies' losses on media ads amounting to hundreds of million Dollars that he has started to suffer as Sabah had risen from its own ashes as an independent and honorable newspaper.
Because, Sabah has immediately left Mr. Doğan's distribution network which had long since tried to bust Sabah, tucked away its papers at the vendors etc. for his aims, and for the fact that Sabah has spearheaded the sector for establishment of a new distribution company to which many newspaper publishers have soon joined. Such developments provoked both monetary and influential loss of Mr. Doğan.
To sum up, Mr. Doğan who presently sits at your management and appears to be the host of Istanbul Conference had indeed substantially violated your tenet for "freedom of the press", he neither seems as having committed to champion your principles and values on fair competition or on survival of the newspapers.
Bidding your forgiveness for keeping our letter quite long, in the light of the facts emphasized here we would like to point out that we know, the upcoming Istanbul Conference of WAN which represents 18 thousand journalists from 100 nations will regrettably be "privatized" by Doğan Group and to be made their own property soon. Hence, we do not desire to act as "walk ons" or appear as "decors" at a show to be staged by him through exploiting the means of your organization with such a mentality that is ever-ready to contravene all WAN commitments aiming at upholding the freedom of press, fair competition and keeping the newspapers alive.
Yes indeed, we would be rejoiced to host you and to share your values which we have adopted in full in a more active manner.
But, we definitely find it odd that such an esteemed international organization that is described on its identification tag as "100 countries, 18 thousand journalists and freedom of press at any rate" (and of IPI) remain under the shadow of Mr. Doğan's.
And for that particular reason we will not be a part, briefly a contributor to the "Doğan Show" that is to be staged in our home town during WAN Congress.
Respectfully submitted
SABAH
Editor-in Chief
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