I Subscribe – to support independent journalism in Turkey

Source: European Centre for Press and Media Freedom

A coalition of freedom of expression organisations led by the International Press Institute (IPI) launched today the “I Subscribe” campaign"  for independent journalism in Turkey. The campaign encourages readers from around the world to subscribe to Turkey’s few remaining independent newspapers as a gesture of support.

The campaign initially features the secular daily Cumhuriyet and will be later expanded to include other outlets with diverse backgrounds and editorial lines.

“Independent journalism in Turkey is fighting for its survival”, IPI Executive Director Barbara Trionfi said. “Subscribing to an independent media outlet is a concrete way that people can help – regardless of where they are in the world.”
The threat to independent journalism in Turkey is severe. An estimated 90 percent of the country’s media are under government influence and more than 180 outlets have been forcibly closed since the July 2016 coup attempt. As of June 1, 2018, at least 153 journalists are in prison in Turkey with hundreds of others facing court proceedings.

Newspapers that do not overtly support the government are starved of both public and private advertising revenue, with evidence suggesting that state officials pressure companies into pulling ads from independent media publications. Moreover, these media outlets face regular legal harassment that drains finances through fines, legal fees and trumped-up tax penalties.
Against this backdrop, reader subscriptions provide an essential source of independent financing to ensure that media outlets can continue to do their work.

Cumhuriyet, which was founded in 1924 and is one of Turkey’s oldest newspapers, has been a top target of state repression. In April, 14 of its journalists and staff members – including its editor-in-chief and CEO – were sentenced to jail on baseless terrorism charges . Despite suffocating legal and financial pressure, the paper has staunchly maintained its critical, secular editorial line.
While the majority of its content is currently in Turkish, Cumhuriyet also produces limited daily content in English, with plans to greatly expand its English-language offering in the coming months, bringing its top-level analysis of Turkish affairs to the global public.