27 November 2009 / STAR ERGUN BABAHAN,
For a long time now the Doğan group has been using every platform it can to express the allegation that a fine it received was an attack on freedom of the press.
It directed such a question to the European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey Ria Oomen Ruijten as well and received the response it deserved: “We know precisely what sort of organization you are.” The stage is set for a similar sort of debate next week in the Indian city of Hyderabad at the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), and we will express the same views there: Freedom of the press is not the same thing as the freedom to enrich your organization, it does not mean the right to see yourself as above the elected political administration, it absolutely does not mean the right to impose your own views on the ruling administration and parliament, it does not mean the freedom to ignore a coup threat against an elected administration or the freedom to protect coup supporters, it cannot be a concept which you use to shape your own interests alone and finally, freedom of the press cannot be used as a shield for tax fraud or against fulfilling your responsibility to the public. All of the above are things which the Doğan group has done.
