The Turkish authorities have refused accreditation to the new star Middle East correspondent Jonas Breng. How we report anyway, describes Cornelia Fuchs, long-time international department head and today responsible for the stern PLUS products.
Turkey has refused our colleague Jonas Breng the accreditation – according to Reporters Without Borders, who referred to our reporter in a press release earlier this week, as the only German journalist. What’s behind it?
Cornelia Fuchs: Our previous correspondent Raphael Geiger was refused accreditation after a three-year stay in Istanbul. Raphael Geiger then moved to Athens. At that time, this happened to some colleagues from other media as well. Raphael Geiger was then able to apply for accreditations for individual research and for short periods of time, which he also received. With our correspondent Jonas Breng there was now no reason for the rejection. We were only informed that his application was rejected.
Can action be taken against it?
There is no official way to appeal this decision. For some time now, decisions about accreditation have been made directly in the presidential office in Ankara. We have not yet been able to get any more information about the rejection. In the end, the only way left is to go public.
What does it mean for journalistic work on site not to be provided with the so-called press card?
The press card also includes the residence permit in the country as a foreign reporter. Without a press card, you cannot legally stay in the country permanently. In addition, in Turkey you need special permits for a research trip for certain regions – for example for the Kurdish areas. These, too, cannot be obtained without accreditation, i.e. without official permission.
How will the star report from or about Turkey in the future?
Jonas Breng is already in Athens – or in Gaza at the moment, his reporting area is large and he will have to travel a lot anyway. As before, we will apply for accreditations for individual research trips and hope that these will then be created. And we will continue to appeal to the Ankara authorities to provide our correspondent with a press card. Because Turkey also loses because our correspondent is not in the country: you experience and experience a country very differently from the outside world. A correspondent learns many stories about Turkey, about the people there, the culture, social developments, everything that defines a country because he experiences everyday life. Because he lives with people. The fact that this is not possible for the star now also prevents us from depicting the full diversity of a country.
The questions were asked by Christina Pohl
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