{"id":743,"date":"2014-06-16T12:39:43","date_gmt":"2014-06-16T12:39:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firdevstalkturkey.com\/?p=743"},"modified":"2014-06-16T12:39:43","modified_gmt":"2014-06-16T12:39:43","slug":"erdogan-demands-news-black-out-islamist-media-has-a-field-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.firdevstalkturkey.com\/erdogan-demands-news-black-out-islamist-media-has-a-field-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Erdo\u011fan demands news black-out; Islamist media has a field day"},"content":{"rendered":"
The escalating crisis and the growing threat of ISIS (The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) in Iraq have many ramifications for the region, some unforeseen but many long predicted.<\/p>\n
For those of us that had been regularly writing and warning about possible consequences of short-sighted, opportunistic, sectarian and often ignorant policies of some of our leaders, there is much to report, comment and question. Yet, with dozens of people held hostage by a force that that already committed unfathomable acts of brutality, we have to be aware that everything we write and say may exacerbate the situation.<\/p>\n
So, why should we feel outraged when we hear the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan telling<\/a>\u00a0 the media to be quiet about the hostage crisis in Iraq?<\/p>\n Knowing that there are special sensitivities in times of conflict does not stop us from upholding the principle of the right of the public to be informed accurately at all times.<\/p>\n It is partly because the hectoring tone of the Prime Minister, long used to giving orders to the media and his use of the term \u201cprovocation by the media\u201d.<\/p>\n