Habertürk columnist fired over anti-gov’t social media posts

Young journalists club

News ID: 5639
Asia » Asia
Publish Date: 13:59 - 02 December 2014
Ali Tezel, a columnist for the Habertürk daily, has said he was fired by the paper because of social media posts he made that were critical of the government.
"Habertürk fired me over my Facebook and Twitter posts. They told me to hush; they told me not to reveal the truth, but I could not,” the columnist wrote on Twitter on Monday night.

Tezel, who is also a social security expert, has written columns highly critical of the government since a mine accident in Soma killed 301 in May, the worst-ever mining disaster in the country's modern history.

The Soma disaster sent shockwaves throughout the country, as it reflected greater problems that Turkey faces regarding worker safety. It prompted widespread outrage, as neither the government nor the company took responsibility for the disaster.

Turkey has a poor industrial jobsite safety record; over 14,000 workers have died in work-related accidents since 2002, when the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power.
 
Tezel's sacking is the latest in an increasing number of moves against journalists who are critical of the AK Party government.

A growing number of Turkish media bosses, who often possess businesses in other sectors, are influencing the editorial policies of their media holdings and are avoiding being critical of the government -- sometimes by firing certain journalists.
 

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