Grants to support minority newspapers

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Vercihan Ziflioğlu

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Representatives from newspapers run by Turkey’s minorities are positive about the future of their publications following a meeting with the Press Bulletin Authority

The Press Bulletin Authority to support minority newspapers.

Representatives from newspapers run by Turkey’s minorities are positive about the future of their publications following a meeting with the Press Bulletin Authority, or BİK, that was convened following a directive by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Preliminary work was underway for minority newspapers to take a share of official bulletins – announcements that official authorities pay publications to print – Yasin Aras, the communication advisor for BİK, told the Hürriyet Daily News, adding that the meeting had been very effective.

“Necessary measures will be taken from now on so as to prevent the abuse of [financial grants.] [Fake] publications could appeal for aid; the grants must go to the right channels,” Aras said.

“The reports deal with the [question] of how to make local media [more] vigorous. The reports have been translated. The work in question will be brought up in the board meeting of the Press Bulletin Authority in August,” he said.

The BİK had already been conducting research in a variety of countries across the world to support minority journals even before the Greek daily Apoyevmatini created a recent public stir when it faced the possibility of closure due to financial constraints, Aras added.

Meeting favorable

The chief editors of Jamanag (Time), Apoyevmatini and Shalom said the meeting took place in a very positive atmosphere. “They listened to our views, they had conducted preliminary studies anyway,” said Ara Koçunyan, the chief editor of the daily Armenian Jamanag,one of the oldest journals of the Turkey, with 100 years of history.

“Grants that will be handed to minority journals must be correctly explained to the public. There is a process of reform in Turkey; reforms made for minorities ought not to be perceived as lending support to ‘foreigners,’” Koçunyan said, and added they had not attended the meeting with any special expectations about obtaining results.

Both the president, as well as the prime minister, had presented a sensitive attitude toward the subject, he added.