Media:Little Pay Increase, High Unemployment

The CGD especially emphasized the inequalities in income in the media sector. "There are people who make 200 USD a month, and people who make 150,000 USD in this sector," read the report.

The following information are taken from the CGD report:

* We have found out that, - also taking into account data by the Ministry of Work and Social Security- 2,482 people have been laid off from their media jobs in 2002.

* The gap between incomes becomes very clear once you find out about the salaries of the general directors of media organizations.

* The Press Law that regulates the working conditions of journalists is being violated; the journalists today are regulated by the General Working Law no: 1475.

* Sinan Kara, head of the newspaper, Datca News, stood trial in 19 separate press cases and was sentenced to prison in 2003. Kara's case is striking as it demonstrates the conditions in which local media employees work, and how judiciary functions.

* After the emergency rule in the southeast was completely lifted at the end of November, banned newspapers and magazines started to be freely distributed in the region. According to the Diyarbakir branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD), a total of 29 newspapers and magazines were banned in the region during the emergency rule. The daily Afresh Free Journal, and the Daily Universal have started to be freely distributed in the predominantly Kurdish southeastern provinces of Diyarbakir and Sirnak since the beginning of December.

The report emphasizes that there are more than 300 legal regulations in Turkey that limit the freedom of expression. The journalists are forced to employ auto-censorship, said the report.

Under different titles, the report also included information about the transfer of journalists from one media organization to another, the state-media relations, the CGD Journalists of the Year awards, and the fines handed out to Turkey by the European Court of Human Rights.

The Work Life Commission of the Istanbul branch of CGD has prepared ten reports since September 2001.

With the aim of following developments in the sector and documenting them, the CGD Istanbul branch had prepared reports during the period September 1997-March 1998. (EO/BB/EA/NM)