The Doha Debate that took place on January 12, 2012 at Bogazici University focused on determining whether Turkey had a good model for the Arab states in terms of media freedom. The participants in this debate included students, human rights activists, media personalities, politicians, and the academicians in Qatar and other neighboring regions. Key panelists who actively participated in this debate were Ece Temelkuran and Hassan Mneimneh. Ece Temelkuran is one of the most celebrated journalists in Turkey who was dismissed by one of the leading newspaper firms in this country because of her stance on various political issues. Hassan Mneimneh is a Transatlantic Fellow for North Africa and Middle East at German Marshall Fund (Doha Debates, 2012). Other key speakers included Aboubakr Jamai and Sinan Ulgen. In this paper, the focus will be to critique the arguments made by these speakers during this debate.
This debate attracted the attention of many professionals in various fields who gave their opinions based on their experiences on this issue. Ece Temelkuran argued that Turkey is far from being a good model for the Arab World in terms of media freedom. She gave the example of the recent case where she was dismissed because of standing for the truth. She said, “Arabs should talk to themselves about which model is best for them,” (Doha Debates, 2012, para. 4). Temelkuran’s presented her points based on her experience. It is true that Turkey is yet to grant its media the freedom of speech (Psychogiopoulou, 2014).
Hassan Mneimneh’s experience in the media industry was vital in this debate. Having worked in various countries in North Africa and Middle East, he had a better understanding of the models used in various countries. He was in the best position to compare the model used in Turkey and those that were applied in other Arab countries in the two regions. He said, “Beware of the use of the Turkish model as a cover for the insertion of Islamism into positions of power” (Doha Debates, 2012, para. 5). According to him, the model in Turkey is highly influenced by the political leadership in the country.
Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat had a contrary opinion. He argued that the Turkish model was a work in progress that could be emulated by the Arab countries not only because of the freedom that the government gave to the press, but also the structure of the relationship between the government and media (Doha Debates, 2012, para. 6). He had worked as a senior government official in Turkey, making it difficult to determine whether he was genuine in this debate or not.
Aboubakr Jamai, a leading Moroccan journalist also shared the same view as Sinan Ulgen. He argued that although the Turkish model had some weaknesses, it was one of the best models in the region. According to Aboubakr, other Arab countries had a lot to learn from this model (Doha Debates, 2012, para. 8). However, he spent most of his time in Morocco, and has limited knowledge of the Turkish model.
In conclusion, it was apparent that these two panelists managed to convince the audience that Turkish model for media freedom is not appropriate for the Arab countries. Cases have been reported where media houses frustrate journalists because of fear of the state, as demonstrated by Temelkuran. Hassan has also confirmed this argument, insisting that the Arab countries should develop a model that is workable given its unique socio-political environment.
References
Doha Debates. (2012). This House believes Turkey is a bad model for the new Arab states. Web.
Psychogiopoulou, E. (2014). Media policies revisited: The challenge for media freedom and independence. London: McMillan.