Prime Minister Joins The Accreditation Controversy: “Send Different Reporters”

Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdoğan told the newspapers whose reporters’ accreditations were cancelled to sent new reporters, they were not going to continue with the ones who write false reporters.

Prime Minister: They should send different reporters

When asked by a reporter why the accreditations of the journalists who have been working as Prime Ministry reporters was cancelled, the Prime Minister said, “If journalists write false reports, their accreditations may be cancelled. That particular media institution or group should send another reporter. We will not go on with those who publish false reports. This is our criteria. He or she will not write false reports.”

Prime Ministry’s Criteria: Absenteeism

While the Prime Minister concentrates on the “false reports”, the Press Center of the Prime Ministry tries to clear the “absenteeism” criteria it has mentioned.

Reacting to the news that appeared in daily Hurriyet yesterday (November 26), the Press Center of the Prime Ministry said the criteria was new, contrary to the claim in the newspaper.

It held daily Milliyet responsible for the “distorted and one-sided” news, adding that the criteria was accepted on July 21, 2008 and announced to all of the journalists.

Evrensel: Not the Prime Ministry, but we decide

However, chief editor of daily Günlük Evrensel İhsan Çaralan said that the statement by the Press Center was not convincing and asked the Prime Minister to quit the accreditation ban.

Reacting to the cancellation of the accreditation of one of their reporters, Sultan Özer, Çaralan said that it was the newspapers administrators who make the decisions about how to use their reporters, not the Prime Ministry.

Hasan Tüfekçi and Turan Yılmaz of daily Hürriyet, Abdullah Karakuş of daily Milliyet, Fatma Çözen of Star TV and Ali Ekber Ertürk of daily Akşam were also affected from this decision.(EÖ/TB)