Ahmet Emin Yalman Case As An Example Of Conflicting Nature Of Power-Press Relations In Turkey (1958-1960)

Abstract

When the development of the activities of the press in Turkey is observed, first of all, a functional tool of the long-term struggle for liberty stands out. Therefore, the relations between the press and the power have appeared periodically conflicting. Having begun his career as a journalist in the last period of the Ottoman Empire and continued his career during the periods having unique political circles such as Abdulhamid II Era, the Second Constitutional Period and the early Republican era, Ahmet Emin Yalman witnessed important events. Exhibiting his experience and knowledge gained in journalism during the transition period to multi-party life, Yalman took part as an important figure in the relationship between the press and the power in this period. Standing dose to the opposition during the founding of the Democratic Party, Yalman published the articles of the leading names of the opposition in his newspaper Vatan, which was owned and edited by him. Yalman, who made an effort to sustain the opposition for the establishment of liberal and democratic political system in Turkey, continued journalism with anti-Democratic Party approach after the 1950 elections. In the late 1950s when the political environment was dragged into violence spiral in Turkey, press activities have been the subject of judicial proceedings. Yalman, who tried to maintain his journalistic activities under these difficult conditions, has been one of the names in the centre of the pressure policy applied to the press. Yalman's imprisonment sentence in Pulliam case and the internal and external reactions caused by the developments in the aftermath, which are the subjects of this study, have been evaluated with a historical perspective.