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Turkey's voting for censors Turkey's voting for censors
(6 months later)
Meanwhile, in a foreign field: Hasan Cemal, former battling Turkish editor (against military juntas), is now the former star columnist for Milliyet, one of Turkey's great newspaper names. He's "stepped down", in the twisty vernacular. What happened? Milliyet published secret minutes of contacts between government emissaries and Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdish terrorist group the PKK. Turkey's PM erupted, as he is wont to do, and put the squeeze on Milliyet. Hasan, pictured, wrote a column defending the story. But the PM carried on erupting. "If this is journalism, down with it!" he cried.Meanwhile, in a foreign field: Hasan Cemal, former battling Turkish editor (against military juntas), is now the former star columnist for Milliyet, one of Turkey's great newspaper names. He's "stepped down", in the twisty vernacular. What happened? Milliyet published secret minutes of contacts between government emissaries and Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdish terrorist group the PKK. Turkey's PM erupted, as he is wont to do, and put the squeeze on Milliyet. Hasan, pictured, wrote a column defending the story. But the PM carried on erupting. "If this is journalism, down with it!" he cried.
Hasan's column was frozen out for two weeks and then blanket-refused for publication. As he said: "I had underlined a fundamental principle of my profession … I argued that journalism and ruling a country are separate issues, and underscored the dividing line that sets them apart. This was what I was saying in a nutshell: In democracies, politicians rule the country and journalists deal with their work."Hasan's column was frozen out for two weeks and then blanket-refused for publication. As he said: "I had underlined a fundamental principle of my profession … I argued that journalism and ruling a country are separate issues, and underscored the dividing line that sets them apart. This was what I was saying in a nutshell: In democracies, politicians rule the country and journalists deal with their work."
Britain turns offBritain turns off
We know newspaper revenue is sinking – and we have pretty precise figures for the year as the Pew Research Centre's State of the Media report is published. (Neatly on cue this year as the Washington Post confirms it's installing a paywall at last, the end of at least one industry argument.) But what about the state of other things – especially local TV as Mr Jeremy Hunt's dream of a Britain studded with mini television stations on the US model begins to take shape?We know newspaper revenue is sinking – and we have pretty precise figures for the year as the Pew Research Centre's State of the Media report is published. (Neatly on cue this year as the Washington Post confirms it's installing a paywall at last, the end of at least one industry argument.) But what about the state of other things – especially local TV as Mr Jeremy Hunt's dream of a Britain studded with mini television stations on the US model begins to take shape?
Well, try audiences down in every time slot across every network. Viewing by adults under 30 down from 42% to 28% in the last six years. Revenue for news-producing stations down by a third over roughly that period. And fret over calculations that show 40% of live-to-air time is now silted up by sports news, weather forecasts and traffic reports – absolutely ideal mobile and smartphone fodder.Well, try audiences down in every time slot across every network. Viewing by adults under 30 down from 42% to 28% in the last six years. Revenue for news-producing stations down by a third over roughly that period. And fret over calculations that show 40% of live-to-air time is now silted up by sports news, weather forecasts and traffic reports – absolutely ideal mobile and smartphone fodder.
News, meantime, get grumpily expensive. US cable channels have cut film and outside broadcast reporting by 30% since 2007: cheap studio interviews, up 31%. It's almost like the NHS, Jeremy.News, meantime, get grumpily expensive. US cable channels have cut film and outside broadcast reporting by 30% since 2007: cheap studio interviews, up 31%. It's almost like the NHS, Jeremy.
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