What Does A Plane Crash Tell Us About Media Freedom?

Probably you have already seen the terrifying pictures of a Turkish plane hanging over a cliff after skidding off the runway with its 168 passengers on board. The Pegasus Airlines flight had traveled from the Turkish capital and the Boeing 737-800 slipped on the icy runway as it came in to land. It was a miracle that the plane did not slide into the dark waters of the Black Sea or explode.

You may be aware of the story because the international media covered it widely for several days; they followed up the possible causes of the incident. If you have not seen the reports, you can watch this video from Business Insider.

But why was such a juicy (let me use this word as fortunately no one was injured) story hardly covered by the Turkish media? 

It is not a secret that the Turkish media is under siege: the country remains the world's worst offender for the second consecutive year when it comes to jailing reporters for their work. It’s mostly political issues that risk their fate, not aviation accidents, one would think. Turkish journalists also have to meet halfway with their bosses to keep their jobs safe. This particular story shows the symbiotic relationship between the media and business worlds in Turkey.

Just one example: the owner of the country's media flagship Hurriyet is Aydin Dogan, whose daughter is married to Ali Sabanci (owner of the Pegasus Airlines ) The Sabancis are Turkey’s fourth richest family, while the Dogan family ranks 10th. Dogan Media owns 13 outlets, 7 news sites, and dominates the Turkish media environment. Yet Hurriyet’s website does not have a single story about this horrible accident. It’s sister Hurriyet Daily News only has two stories. Other papers also followed the story with very limited coverage, probably due to fear of losing advertising revenues from Sabanci.

Turkish journalists can’t (and some choose not to) do their jobs, but luckily international media outlets fill the gap to track the officials responsible for risking human lives.