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A look at press freedom in Turkey

Burhan Ozbilici
/
AP Images
In this July 1, 2008 file photo, police escort journalist Mustafa Balbay, center, in Ankara, Turkey.

Turkey portrays itself as the leading nation in an increasingly turbulent region of the world. The country that straddles Europe and the Middle East is a secular democracy with a thriving economy. It's also a member of NATO and a potential member of the European Union. 

But there are major conflicts both inside Turkey and just outside its southeastern border -- in Syria, Iran and Iraq. Also, Turkey is drawing widespread criticism for jailing more reporters than any other country in the world. 
 
The Committee to Protect Journalists recently released an in-depth report with this conclusion: press freedom in Turkey has reached a crisis point.
 
To learn more about media restrictions, Global Journalist spoke to Amberin Zaman. She is a Turkish columnist and the country’s correspondent for The Economist newsmagazine.
 
 

Rehman Tungekar is a former producer for KBIA, who left at the beginning of 2014.