Long Term Terrorism in Turkey: The Government, Media and Public Opinion

Abstract

Turkey has been subjected to terrorism for the past 24 years with the PKK’s campaign of terror. Under the pressure of PKK terrorism, a complex relationship has developed between the Turkish government, the media, and public opinion. In a world where information and communication play a key role, terrorists try to achieve the maximum possible media impact from violent acts. The media are the best way of getting a message across to the wider public. So when we define terrorism, we have to keep in mind that a three-way relationship exists between the main protagonists: terrorists want something from governments and work to get it through the agency of public opinion by seeking to terrorise the public at large in the most spectacular way possible. Public opinion is influenced by the media that sometimes produce exaggerated accounts of terrorist events. There is, therefore, a contradiction between the duty to serve the public and give a truthful presentation of what is going on, and pressures in times of crises where journalists are at something of a loss. Their integrity can be abused in such troubled times. This chapter will seek to examine how this three-way relationship works under the threat of terrorism in Turkey. It will investigate how the government has responded to terrorist attacks, how public opinion has been formed in such an environment and how it has influenced governments’ policies and decisions in regard to terrorism. Also, it will explore how the media have reacted in this cycle, whether they have served as the fourth power or prefer to reflect exaggerated accounts of violent acts. © 2010 Brill. All rights reserved.