But with as many as three million Turkish votes in European countries up for grabs, campaign headlines have focused on a war of words with Germany and the Netherlands over their decision to ban rallies in their territory.
President Erdogan’s rhetoric of a “Nazi”, Islamophobic Europe crushing Turkish ambitions has been echoed by a cohort of loyal media, looking to stir up nationalistic fervour and drum up support for a “Yes” vote.
A few journalists daring to openly support the ‘No’ vote have been showed the door.
Contributors:
Ravza Kavakci, AK party legislator
Meryem Ilayda Atlas, journalist,
Sabah Mehves Evin, journalist,
Diken Ceren Sozeri, associate professor, Galatasaray University
On our radar:
• Israel’s new public broadcaster set to be launched next month may have to be postponed yet again as it continues to be mired in political controversy.
• A Basque reporter, fined by authorities under Spain’s contentious gag law, has had his case dropped by public prosecutors.
• There has been another murder of a reporter in the Philippines. The motives are unclear, but the government of President Duterte says it is looking into the crime.
Media battles on the air in Pakistan
A verdict from a British court in late 2016 signalled a formal end to a long-running battle between two of Pakistan’s biggest news channels – Geo and ARY. Now, in the aftermath of that fight, is a moment for the news industry there to reflect and reform.
Contributors: Sadaf Khan, director of programmes, Media Matters for Democracy; Munizae Jahangir, senior anchor & executive producer, AAJTelevision; Imran Aslam, president, Geo TV; Arshad Sharif, host, ARY News
(Al Jazeera)
The Ranao Star 