VOA标准英语2010年-Turkey PM's Attack on Media Could Quel

Observers say the Turkish prime minister's threats over the media's coverage¹ of the recent political crisis is adding to growing questions about what direction the country is heading. 

The financial fallout from Turkey's latest political crisis was the catalyst² that resulted in Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan launching his attacks against the media.

Turkish markets were weakened by days of tension between the government and the secularist³ military for their role in an alleged⁴ military plot against the Islamic-rooted administration. 

The market at one point fell 6.5 percent as shareholders⁵ moved their investments to what they perceived as safer economic waters.

Addressing his party, the prime minister pinned the blame on the media for fanning the flames of financial fears.

"Nobody has a right to increase tension in this country," he said. "I cannot let such newspaper articles upset financial balances. No one has the right to turn a country's economy on its head. We won't allow it.  Please, everyone should be aware of their limits.  Don't say tomorrow you haven't been warned."

Threats by the prime minister aren't taken lightly by the media.

The country's largest media organization, Dogan Media Group, is facing a multibillion-dollar fine and bankruptcy⁶ for non-payment of taxes. The fine came after the group's newspapers published corruption⁷ allegations against the government in connection with the defrauding⁸ of a German-based charity.

"It is a pattern, it is a pressure, it is a strong pressure on us," said News Editor Mehmet Ali Birand. "Therefore I fear, I fear the situation."

Such concerns are shared by the European Union. The prime minister's latest outburst has led many EU diplomats⁹ in Ankara to voice fears about his increasingly aggressive stance towards the media. The EU in its latest progress report on Turkey's accession progress expressed reservations over the state of press freedom in the country.

Richard Howitt is a member of the European Parliament's committee on Turkey.

"I still really worry about freedom of expression, and part of Turkey conforming to European values, is to relax and to become much more confident in allowing dissident and opposing political views. However offensive they may be, it is part of being a modern European democratic pluralistic country and that's a lesson I still think we have got long way to go in Turkey itself," said Howitt.

Parallels are being drawn¹⁰ between the current controversy¹¹ and the leadership of former Turkish prime minister Adnan Menderes. Elected in 1950, Manderes was ousted¹² from power in a 1960 coup¹³ by the Turkish military and later hanged.  Professor of media studies at Bilgi University, Haluk Sahin, says history might be repeating itself.

"We've gone from a similar situation in the past, when Adnan Menderes was emerging as a strong man you might even say," explained Sahin.  "He engaged in similar policies to silence the press. Of course this was very bad for Turkish democracy and created a great deal of tension in the country."

The strong criticism of the prime minister from much of the media, including some newspapers that are generally supportive of the government, seemed to have pressured Mr. Erdogan to backtrack.  Addressing his parliamentary deputies on Tuesday, he said he had been misunderstood and that he would never threaten the country's media.

Besides its problems with the military, the government is also locked in a battle with the judiciary as it gets ready later this month to introduce judicial¹⁴ reforms. Political columnist¹⁵ Nuray Mert says the country is heading in a dangerous direction.

"Totally against any kind of criticism, they are employing all sorts of pressures on media, directly and indirectly," said Mert.  "In this picture I can't see any hope better or more advanced democracy at the end of this struggle. But rather there are prospects¹⁶, of replacement¹⁷ of one kind of authoritarian¹⁸ political culture with another."

The government refutes such accusations¹⁹ saying it is committed to democratizing Turkey as part of its bid to join the EU. It claims its latest reforms to the judiciary are in line with EU membership requirements. But observers say despite such claims, the prime minister's latest outburst against the media is highlighting how its lingering domestic divisions will reflect on its future relationship with Europe.

 

1 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

2 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

3 secularist   

n.现世主义者，世俗主义者；宗教与教育分离论者

参考例句：

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

6 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

7 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

8 defrauding   

v.诈取，骗取( defraud的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Second is the actor regards defrauding of the wealth as object. 第二，行为人以骗取钱财为目的。 来自互联网
• Therefore, DELL has the motive and economic purpose of intentionally defrauding the Chinese consumers. 因此，戴尔公司存在故意欺诈中国消费者的动机和经济目的。 来自互联网

9 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

11 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

12 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

13 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

14 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

15 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

16 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

17 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

18 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

19 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。