Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan’s assault on press freedoms pre-dates the recent failed effort to launch a coup d’état to topple his government, but as he purges tens of thousands from the military, academia and the judiciary, he is strongly increasing his campaign against media as well. To date, Erdogan has shuttered three news agencies, 45 daily newspapers, 23 radio stations and 16 television channels. This, in addition to issuing detainment orders against 47 journalists. The Obama administration stopped short of condemning the open season on media, choosing instead to characterize the Erdogan media purge as being “a worrisome trend.” Sources in Turkey report that not all of those detained or silenced by the government have ties to the elements that staged the coup, suggesting that the insurgency is more the excuse for the purge rather than the reason.
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