Talkin' Turkey: PM Threatens Times of London with Legal Action

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A month after branding Twitter  a "provocateur" (see "TUOL" post 6/26/13), Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has the Times of London in his sites, threatening the daily with legal action over a full-page political ad criticizing him for his "dictatorial rule," Al-Jazeera reported today.

Hollywood's Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn are among the signatories in the ad that objects to the PM's handling of anti-government demonstrations and blames Erdogan for the deaths of five protesters. Demonstrators, whom the PM has condemned as "terrorists" and "looters," are demanding his ouster.

"We will pursue legal channels regarding the Times," Erdogan is quoted as saying in the Al-Jazeera. It's puzzling to "TUOL" what Erdogan believes is being 'broadcast' on such legal channels that would give rise to an actionable claim against the daily for running a paid advertisement.

Journalists Not Swayed by Freedom Promised by Turkmenistan Media Law

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Turkenistan President and Prime Minister Gurbaguly Berdymuhammedov last month signed into law a measure purporting to expand press freedom, but journalists in the repressive Central Asian nation aren't buying it, al-Jazeera reported.

Paris-based news media advocate Reporters Without Borders ("RWB") rates Turkmenistan ahead only of North Korea and Eritrea at the bottom of its press freedom index, while U.S.-based press advocate Freedom House ranks Turkmenistan 196 out of 197 on its press freedom index. Until January 25, 2013, the President controlled Turkenistan's five radio outlets, 39 publications, seven nationwide tv stations and lone press agency, according to the al-Jazeera article.

The media law at issue proclaims "the State shall guarantee the freedom of the media to express an opinion." RWB issued a statement condemning the law as "disconnected from reality." The measure, however, is expected to expose the nation's five million citizens to greater access to foreign news media.

Al Gore Sells to Al-Jazeera

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The financially-strapped, viewer-deprived Current TV cable network founded by former Vice President Al Gore this week announced it will be purchased by Al-Jazeera.

According to articles by NPR.org and The Huffington Post, the Qatari government-funded network plans to operate Al-Jazeera America from New York-based headquarters. The Arab-language news operation, based in Qatar, already offers Al-Jazeera English, which is available in Washington, D.C. and New York City, but scarcely accessible in the U.S.

Buoyed by its acquisition of Current TV, which reaches approximately 60 million homes through cable or satellite service, Al-Jazeera America plans to bolster its staff to 300 and open bureaus nationwide to join its current operations in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles, according to the NPR report.

Although Al-Jazeera English will provide some programming, more than half of the network's shows will be produced in the U.S. The transition, however, may not be as smooth as the Qatari news operation may have hoped. The Huffington Post reported today that Time Warner Cable ("TWC"), which has carried the ratings-starved Current TV to roughly 12 million homes, will not make Al-Jazeera America available to its subscribers. The TWC decision was condemned as politically motivated and an act of cowardice by the founding director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship at Arizona State University.

However, according to a tweet by a New York Times reporter, Al-Jazeera America is likely to benefit from Current TV's arrangement with other carriers, including Comcast, DirecTV, Verizon, A T&T and Dish.