Media platform for hate?

When the relatives of suicide bombers lament that more Jews weren’t killed, are the reporters quoting them involved in incitement? Turkish authorities think so. After Al-Qaeda attacks on Istanbul synagogues in 2003, reporter Elif Korap interviewed one bomber’s family.

“We were more sorry than we were pleased about the attacks because Muslims died," Nurullah Kuncak was quoted as saying. "If only Jews, not Muslims, had been killed, I would have been happy."…
For his statement, Kuncak, then 17, was charged with inciting ethnic hatred. It was the first time anti-Semitism was the basis for such a case in Turkey, a predominantly Muslim country where Jews generally have been welcome for five centuries.

But the reporter who interviewed Kuncak and wrote the article, Elif Korap of mainstream newspaper Milliyet, also was charged under the same law for quoting him. Both face trial in two months.

(Hat tip: Journalism.org)

Posted at 10:34 AM

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» Incitement vs freedom of speech from The Vanity Of Ages
Remember the Al-Qaeda's bombings of two Istanbul synagogues? A Turkish newspaper interviewed a relative of one of the bombers, who expressed regret that Muslims had died, and not only Jews. Pretty standard stuff, except that the Turkish authorities hav... [Read More]

Tracked on Feb 21, 2005 2:51:49 PM

Comments

Understandable. Laudable even. But hardly an example of a free-press or of a democracy.

Posted by: Alvin at Feb 20, 2005 12:40:56 PM

How sad we have to go relative to find any sort of moral center.

Posted by: Jane YIS at Feb 21, 2005 4:49:23 PM

The point is: Our quoting him in the context of this case is similar to his being quoted by the reporter who interviewed him, but BackSpin isn't in Turkey so it's no problem.

There r good reasons for supporting Turkey's decision but a country where this decision takes place is a country with no real press freedom.

Posted by: Alvin at Feb 24, 2005 8:12:09 PM