October 23, 2011

We were afraid to publish when we got the coup diaries, Birand says

Fatih Vural

Veteran journalist Mehmet Ali Birand made striking confessions about the contribution of the mainstream media to the military in anti-democratic practices over the years in May, triggering the debate on the role of the media during military coups.

Noting that most journalists and media channels acted in favor of the military to guarantee the hegemonic position of the secular and Kemalist establishment in the political landscape thus excluding important segments of society from the decision-making process, Birand said that democracy had not been as important as retaining political power by using any means, including supporting coups, for secular intellectuals and journalists.