At this point, beginning from the unusual and anti-democratic developments that triggered the early elections process, I would like to assess and share with our readers Today’s Zaman’s stance toward the developments that have so far occurred in the election atmosphere and our publication rationale underlying this stance. I should first note openheartedly that it is the readers who can best evaluate the publication policies, journalistic understanding and content of a newspaper. The last thing the editor of a newspaper should do is provide commentary on the evaluation of the readers. The appreciation or criticism of the readership is like a lighthouse in this profession. If you reject the guidance of these lighthouses, it becomes very likely that you will lose your way and run aground.
I can say with a content heart that Today’s Zaman has always received very encouraging words of appreciation from its readers regarding its print edition and its online version. This appreciation has usually been expressed in a sentence, “The best English paper ever published in Turkey in terms of general content, publication philosophy, design and level of English.”
While these praises sharpen the enthusiasm of Today’s Zaman’s staff, from its reporters to its copy editors, from page designers to columnists and cartoonists, our staff is well aware that this appreciation gives them the responsibility of “doing everything better than at present.” Additionally, I don’t deem it an obligation to say that the competition triggered by the high quality of Today’s Zaman has also been compelling other English publications to increase in quality.
Now we can move on to what Today’s Zaman has been doing and will continue doing in the election atmosphere. Since we hit the streets on Jan. 16, 2007, Today’s Zaman has defended more democracy, more freedom and a Turkey more integrated with the world. It has based its publication philosophy on the foundation of courage, self-confidence and respect for others, rather than fears fed by empty delusions, paranoia or doubts. It has also never compromised its courageous and inspirational stance in the painful process sparked by the April 27 e-memorandum. It has endeavored to make this process experienced in Turkey closely followed and accurately understood in all its dimensions by foreign readers.
While doing its utmost to convey this complicated and confusing process to its readers with its news articles, analyses, serials and commentaries, Today’s Zaman has never made efforts to conceal the fact that it takes a certain side in this process. I can proudly say that this partisanship has never been directed toward a certain person against another, toward a certain group against another or toward a certain party against another, and it will never be.
This partisanship of ours has always been in favor of democracy against any sort of intervention, whatever the source, in favor of defending all human rights against persecution and violations, enhancing welfare and boosting laws against poverty and injustice, integration with the world against Turkey’s retiring into itself and in favor of the public will against the domination of the oligarchic-bureaucratic state. This stance has been against xenophobia, the primitive, divisive and discriminatory political understanding, inconsistent stances fed by paranoia, gang formations and all sorts of civil or military stances that would debilitate democracy. And it will continue being so.
Putting up a counter stance with this understanding against all sorts gang formations aimed at frustrating and dispiriting the democratic majority, Today’s Zaman has opposed the military’s intervention in politics, bolstered the political parties’ attitudes in favor of democracy, human rights and reforms, and adopted a stance against all sorts of movements, party policies and statements that are in essence anti-democratic and fascist.
Today’s Zaman has also adopted the preference and values of the majority as its own; however, it has also pursued a publication policy that is protective of the rights of ethnic and religious minorities rather than being solely political. It has endeavored to make the problems, views and thoughts of the foreigners who live in this country more widely heard. Our readers will remember many examples of this stance by the numerous headlines we have carried on the front page of our paper.
As the elections are drawing near, Today’s Zaman, as tangible proof that it is neither close to nor distant from any party, has set apart a whole page titled “Election Arena” for prominent representatives of four parties, which are assumed to have the potential of surpassing the election barrier, to express themselves. Moreover, it has also taken the pulse of local politics by its reporters touring all of Anatolia and has done its best to reflect it to its readers, cognizant of the fact that the elections process cannot be appreciated only through the party politics of Ankara.
In the presence of you, our esteemed readers, I would like to present my thanks and appreciation, in particular to our colleagues in our Ankara bureau and to our editors in İstanbul, who have been making painstaking efforts in this extremely busy process with an agenda never ceasing to be hot; to our columnists, who facilitate a better understanding of the agenda; and to our entire staff, which contributes in countless ways to the making of this precious newspaper.
Benzer Haberler 
