Editorial independence

Editorial independence in the each media organization is influenced both by external factors (sources of information, business partners, advertisers) and by internal factors (business interests and the goals of the media owner and the managers of the outlet). There are at least three levels at which editorial independence can be evaluated in accordance with various players in the media environment-the level of the individual, the media organisation and the media industry. Editorial independence at each of these levels, in turn, depends on self-regulation and media regulation mechanisms. In this specific research, the question about attitude to editorial independence has been analyzed. With the goal to determine the conditions, which affect the level of editorial independence in the media firms, the formal and informal factors in the relationship between owners and editors have been evaluated. The data of the Latvian journalist survey has been compared with data acquired during semi-structured interviews with media owners and chief editors. In Latvia, the will of the owner to use media in his own interest both political and commercial is perceived as natural, as well as the belief of the owner that the opinions made by the editor must not interfere with the owner's business venture. However, even in editorial offices where strict limitations of editorial independence exist, journalists find a way to produce content independently. For journalists it doesn't mean the situation at the office, but their own individual work, defining the editorial independence as a chance freely produce specific content. Respondents in this survey think highly of the individual autonomy of journalists, but media workers clearly understand the limitations on editorial independence that are implemented by owners, directors or editors-in-chief.

Editorial independence in the each media organization is influenced both by external factors (sources of information, business partners, advertisers) and by internal factors (business interests and the goals of the media owner and the managers of the outlet). There are at least three levels at which editorial independence can be evaluated in accordance with various players in the media environment-the level of the individual, the media organisation and the media industry. Editorial independence at each of these levels, in turn, depends on self-regulation and media regulation mechanisms. In this specific research, the question about attitude to editorial independence has been analyzed. With the goal to determine the conditions, which affect the level of editorial independence in the media firms, the formal and informal factors in the relationship between owners and editors have been evaluated. The data of the Latvian journalist survey has been compared with data acquired during semi-structured interviews with media owners and chief editors. In Latvia, the will of the owner to use media in his own interest both political and commercial is perceived as natural, as well as the belief of the owner that the opinions made by the editor must not interfere with the owner's business venture. However, even in editorial offices where strict limitations of editorial independence exist, journalists find a way to produce content independently. For journalists it doesn't mean the situation at the office, but their own individual work, defining the editorial independence as a chance freely produce specific content. Respondents in this survey think highly of the individual autonomy of journalists, but media workers clearly understand the limitations on editorial independence that are implemented by owners, directors or editors-in-chief.

This article presents some observations on the public sphere
and its participants in Lithuania in the Soviet period, during the
transitional period and after independence. The analysis is based on data from a language research project that created a corpus of audiovisual media texts from 1961 to 2011.

This paper focuses on media ownership transparency and editorial autonomy in Latvia from the point of view how media companies engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. This article takes a critical look at a representative sample of media outlets that relate to Latvia’s national peculiarities. The conclusion is that the ability of national media policy to really facilitate media ownership transparency and the editorial autonomy of media primarily does not depend on legal regulations, instead relies on co-regulation which links incentive national support policy for the media and their participation in a self-regulatory system.

This paper focuses on media ownership transparency and editorial autonomy in Latvia from the point of view how media companies engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. This article takes a critical look at a representative sample of media outlets that relate to Latvia's national peculiarities. The conclusion is that the ability of national media policy to really facilitate media ownership transparency and the editorial autonomy of media primarily does not depend on legal regulations, instead relies on co-regulation which links incentive national support policy for the media and their participation in a self-regulatory system.

Reporting Facts: Free from Fear or Favour provides a comprehensive overview of the ways in which independent media are being undermined by both powerful external actors and decision-making structures or individuals within media organizations. Among the developments tracked is media capture, a form of media control achieved through a series of premeditated steps taken by governments and powerful interest groups, which undermines the ability of journalism to serve as a public good. These include taking over regulatory control, state-owned media operations, public advertising, and politically linked ownership of private media.

The collusion between political class and media owners has reached unprecedented levels, leading to a phenomenon known as media capture, a situation where most or all of the news media institutions are operating as part of a government-business cartel that controls and manipulates the flow of information with the aim to protect their unrestricted and exclusive access to public resources. This paper analyzes the key components of this phenomenon.

There have been many studies on the Voortrekker Centenary of 1938 and the unforeseen consequences it had, including the subsequent surge of Afrikaner nationalism and political developments. As the wagons moved across South Africa, the processions infused Afrikaners with pride in their heroic past. Afrikaner nationalism, the ideology that focused on protecting Afrikaner culture, the striving to regain an independent republic and, importantly, affirmation that they were God's chosen people, were rekindled. The event also generated a widespread sense of connection. It was not only Afrikaners who were swept up in the euphoria of the celebrations, but also many non-Afrikaners were emotionally affected by the event.

Öz: Modern dünyada medya ve demokrasi iç içe işlediğinden birindeki sorunlar diğerini derinden etkiler. Medya-demokrasi ilişkisi kadar, yapılar ve etik de birbiriyle sıkı şekilde bağlantılıdır. Etik sorunlar, büyük ölçüde yapısal düzenleme ve mekanizmalardan kaynaklanır. Bu çalışma, Türkiye' de medya ve demokrasinin sorunlarını yapısal ve kurumsal bir bakışla tartışmaktadır. Türkiye' deki hâkim demokrasi zihniyetinin ve yüzde 10 seçim barajının demokrasiyi kötürüm hale getirdiği, gayri adil temsil mekanizmalarının ve siyasetçiler arasındaki kutuplaşmanın kamu menfaatini zayıflattığı tartışılmaktadır. Bu rekabette, karşıt siyasi aktörler arasındaki menfaat çatışmasının toplumun aleyhine fakat siyasetçi sınıfın lehine işlediği ileri sürülmektedir. Demokrasiye dair sorunlar medyaya da sirayet etmektedir. Medyanın yapısal ve etik sorunları bu kapsamda analiz edilmektedir. Medya sahiplik yapısı, kamusal medya kuruluşlarının durumu, tarafsız özdenetim mekanizmalarının eksikliği ve gazetecilerin kişisel etik sorunları incelenmektedir. Tüm bu yapısal ve etik meselelerde siyasetçilerin rolü özellikle sorgulanmaktadır.

Anahtar kelimeler: Medya-demokrasi ilişkisi, yapısal yaklaşım, medya etiği, çıkar çatışması, Türkiye' de siyasetçi sınıf.

Structural and Ethical Problems of Media and Democracy in Turkey
Abstract:

Since media and democracy are intertwined in the modern world, problems in one deeply affect the other. As well as the media-democracy relationship, structures and ethics are closely linked. Ethical problems are largely caused by structural arrangements and mechanisms. This study discusses the problems of media and democracy in Turkey with a structural and institutional perspective. It is argued that the dominant mentality of democracy in Turkey and the 10 percent electoral threshold have crippled democracy, and that the mechanisms of unfair representation and polarization among politicians undermine the public interest. In this competition, it is argued that the conflict of interest between opposition political actors is against society but in favor of the political class. The problems with democracy are also circulating in the media. The structural and ethical problems of the media are analyzed in this context. Media ownership structure, the status of public media outlets, the lack of impartial self-control mechanisms, and journalists’ personal ethical problems are examined. The role of politicians on all these structural and ethical issues is also being questioned.

Keywords: Media-democracy relations, Structural approach, Media ethics, Conflict of interest, Politician class in Turkey.

Giriş

Medya ve demokrasi birbiriyle derinden ilişkilidir. Kamu hizmetinde medya ne ka-dar işlevselse, demokrasi de o kadar güçlüdür. Bunun tersi de doğrudur; demok-rasi ne denli sağlıksızsa, medya da vatandaşların hak ve özgürlüklerinin korunma-sı bakımından o denli işlevsiz kalır, hatta bozuk işlev görür. İkisi arasındaki köklü ilişkilere tarih tanıklık eder. 1 Ancak, günümüzde herkesin önemini vurguladığı bir çağda, medya birçok toplumda demokratik işlevlerini tam olarak yerine getiremiyor. Anayasa ve temel belgelerde yazanlar kanunlara yansımıyor veya yeterince uygulanmıyor; medya yeterli düzenlemelerden mahrum kalıyor -veya bırakılıyor.

The World Association of Medical Editors defines editorial independence as: full control over the editorial content of the journal, regardless of conflicts with the
commercial success of the publication or the owners’ interests. Fortunately, our Editorial Advisory Board recently met to discuss this issue. Separation of the
editorial decisions from financial issues is essential to ensure editorial independence. There are outright threats to continued editorial independence. We reaffirm
the core value of editorial freedom. The Committee on Publication Ethics has published a draft code of conduct for medical editors proposing a framework in detail for the relationship between the journal editors and the owners. The role of the editors is to ensure accuracy of the material published for which they have to rely on the authors as well as an efficient review process. Authors should submit the ethical clearance or approval by the ethics committee for any research work. However, the editor is still responsible for checking out if there is any unethical work submitted for publication.