(Person) Percentage - Sabanci University Research Database

The Asian Media & Mass Communication Conference 2010 Osaka, Japan
public. During this single-party era newspapers supported intensively Atatürk’s reforms.
However Ulus newspaper cannot be qualified as an example of partisan press because there
isn’t a profit-making relation between the party and the newspaper even though Ulus is the
mouthpiece of the party. The social structure does not present a duality especially during the
II. World War there was a pressure on press (Güvenir, 1991).
In Turkish History “Transition to Democracy Period” in 1945-1950 press had a
relatively flexible period (Özerkan ve Kabaş, 2005: 200). There were right-wing, conservative
and partially left-wing newspapers (Topuz, 1996: 101). Büyük Doğu magazine owned by
Necip Fazıl Kısakürek is the progenitor of today’s Turkish Islamist partisan press. “Political
partisan press and ideological partisan press” differentiations started at that period also. In fact
social split is reflected to the press right away. However there isn’t a real profit relation
between Democrat Party (DP) and the press that’s why we cannot talk of a partisan press.
Nevertheless, some newspapers such as Vatan newspaper entered into an alliance with CHP’s
rival DP and published this party’s speeches. However these publications were sanctioned by
the government (Gürkan, 1998’den aktaran Özerkan ve Kabaş, 2005).
In 1950 the government has changed and DP supported considerably by the press had
the political power. In fact press trusted DP and first press code has been signed under DP
government. Nevermore there were newspapers supporting CHP. First years of 1950’s
Turkish press is divided to three different kinds of newspapers: Objective newspapers;
newspapers supporting CHP and supporting DP (Öymen, 2009: 80). But DP-press good
relations did not last long as the public does not appreciate DP’s operations because DP could
not respond to the economical expectations of the public (Topuz, 1996: 107). 1954-60 Turkish
press had to deal with infinite legal cases. DP applied censorship with new legal codes,
imposed penalties and blocked the press freedom. DP’s legal codes were criticized at foreign
press’s headlines. DP government created also a supporter “servant press”. It is correct to
name these years as partisan press years: Servant press is partisan press.
After 1960 Turkey had 3 military coups. After the first one in May, 27 1960 press won
some legal rights nevermore March 12 th , 1971 and September 12 th , 1980 military coups
brought pressure and censorship to press. Before 1980 media changed hands and was owned
by holdings. This period is followed by the entrance of financial holdings desiring to use
media as a commercial tool (Tokgöz, 1998). The first entrance of the holdings to media sector
started in 1982 by Kozanoğlu-Çavuşoğlu Group’s Güneş newspaper acquisition. This firm is
known by its huge accumulations from Libyan constructions (Sönmez, 2003). Later on Asil
Nadir, Cypriot businessman active in UK received an invitation from Prime Minister Turgut
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