The morning after the Turkish election:

Someone wins and others lose, but free and fair elections are the heartbeat of any democracy.  Turkey went to the polls Sunday to elect mayors as well as municipal and provincial councillors. So while some will celebrate and some will lick their wounds, Monday morning should have been a time when the pulse of the nation should have been beating with that little bit more umph.
 
And yet there is an air of  uncertainty and even gloom over the nation. Even the governing party which has every reason to feel satisfied with the result, have emerged from the contest feeling bitter. The prime minister, addressing his supporters did not even pretend that he would try to heal the conflicts  which the election campaign exposed. He promised to use his victory as a mandate for “weeding out traitors” and settling scores.
 
One interpretation of the results is that the electorate were prepared to overlook the charges of corruption against the government in recognition that the last decade has been one of relative prosperity. The financial markets in their turn gave a little cheer that Turks appear to value stability above more abstract virtues.  Yet wiser councils suggest that whatever rally will be short lived–  particularly if the government seems bent on a policy of polarisation. There cannot be stability if a nation  is rent apart.
 
In such a situation it is the obligation of a country’s media to lead a process of reconciliation – not through whitewashing the truth but embracing what it knows to be the case. P24 is an organisation that supports media independence and we make no secret of our view that this  very lack of independence has become a polluting engine of polarisation in Turkey.  If the outside world now sees Turkey as a country in trouble, then the Turkish press must take part of the blame.  As P24 we share a growing concern, both at home and abroad, that this government will use its mandate at the polls to further erode the rule of law. Yet we also feel that if public life in Turkey has become corrupted it is because the media is itself infected.
 
Where do ordinary people in Turkey turn to when they want to listen to new that challenges and not necessarily confirms their own prejudices or  read opinions that moves the argument on? In the last days we have seen access to social media restricted and even newspaper websites hacked down. It is not surprising that government becomes more authoritarian if the media is signposting the way.  
 
P24 is a non-partisan organisation. That does not mean its individual members do not have deeply held convictions or that they make any secret of their passionately-held political beliefs. It does mean, however, that we support constructive debate, that we believe everyone should have a fair hearing. Shouting your opponent down cannot be a substitute for rational argument.
 
Now more than ever the members of our profession must take up arms. This is not a case of the pen being mightier than the sword. We have seen too many fine words to too little purpose. Rather, this is a time for self-reflection and for members of the media corps to listen to the thin and reedy voice of conscience.