2023-06-02 08:32:21
by Andreas Gunes
Due to the AKP-MHP-Erdogan demonstration on May 28, 2023 in Vienna-Favoriten, the discussion about the degree of integration of people from Turkey has recently flared up again. This applies in particular to the Austro-Turkish media landscape and of course other migrant media.
Some parties are adding fuel to the fire by demanding that Turkish-language newspapers should no longer be subsidised.
Turkish newspapers are not subsidized with a single euro!
But one thing should be said in advance: not a single (!) Austrian newspaper in Turkish and with Austro-Turkish publishers or media owners has been subsidized by an Austrian state agency (state, city or municipality), regardless of whether it is from Vienna or the whole of Austria. With not a single euro! The demand is therefore in vain and is pure populism!
The total number of state advertisements that are published in Austrian-Turkish or other foreign-language newspapers in print or on the Internet is so small compared to the advertisements in the German-language media that one can even speak of discrimination or non-equal treatment could, instead of just complaining about the fact that the advertisements in migrant media are not being placed either.
The other way around, it becomes a shoe: the state authorities place these advertisements precisely so that they can also reach those Turkish and other foreign-language people with the information they post (think of integration, laws, pandemics, the army, elections, health information…). .
The state should therefore place advertisements in Austro-Turkish and other foreign-language media and grant them equal subsidies in order to also address the readers. From this point of view, the subsidies and advertisements must even be expanded! This is the only way to guarantee healthy media diversity in a pluralistic society and at the same time conform to the principle of equality. Restricting advertisements and funding unilaterally is definitely the wrong way to go!
Meet people where they are!
With all the excitement and the obvious undesirable developments in the integration, especially of a part of the Turkish population in Austria, who are more or less under the influence of the Turkish President and AKP leader Erdogan and his supporters as a result of these failures, one thing has to be remembered above all keep in mind: If the Austrian politicians, the parties, the state and the media companies – for whatever reason – fail to address these Austro-Turkish target groups and pick them up where they are, then a big gap will open up.
As before, this gap will then be filled by media houses controlled from abroad and their exploited reporters via the social media. It is then easy to influence these communities from abroad in a one-sided, distorted and ideologically misguided manner. In a constantly changing society, the Austrian, Austro-Turkish and other foreign-language media publishers must do something concrete to counteract these alarming developments! The media subsidies and the placement of advertisements must also give progressive and independent multilingual media with reporting independent of the country of origin access to subsidies and additional income through equal treatment via advertisements.
Why should Austrian newspapers in Turkish be treated equally?
This disinformation or anti-integration reports also come from abroad and through their extended arms to Austria and are spread through various channels. Austria must take action against this by treating its own sources, integrating, liberal Austrian newspapers in Turkish and German, equally.
Equal treatment creates media diversity
That is precisely why one should not generalize and satanize all Turkish newspapers. There are many reputable independent newspapers among these and have been doing so for over a quarter of a century, which makes up a very important part of the media landscape in Austria, and all of this without a cent subsidy!
Here we need communication channels, especially in Vienna and in Austria. This can only be reputable Turkish-language media that have been on the market for years and have built a name for themselves as a result.
Of course, there are also dubious media, which you can usually easily recognize from the imprint or the one-sided reports. The task here is to separate the wheat from the chaff. Just as there are good German-language newspapers and less good ones, there are also reputable and less reputable Turkish-language newspapers, but they are all produced in Austria and the employees are financed by the domestic media houses. By nobody else.
If you talk about a freeze on advertising by government agencies, that would mean an investment freeze for all newspapers and media. After all, the state or the respective city or municipality must treat all newspapers equally under constitutional law and should then generally no longer place any advertisements in any Austrian media. A preference for individual media based on language, religion and origin violates the Equal Treatment Act by discriminating against other media.
One must not generalize populistically and aggressively here and satanize and discriminate against a group of people or newspapers because of their language.
The number of migrants (1.2 million) in Austria (9 million people) is constantly increasing. Responsible raison d’état requires reaching these target groups through the media and thus successfully integrating them into the social and economic policy processes in the country. However, these people, especially those who speak a foreign language, have been targeted for years with propaganda material from reactionary parties and sects, racist organizations and other anti-constitutional forces from abroad. These radical foreign forces make coexistence and integration in Austria more difficult, if they don’t even want to consciously prevent it.
Important bridge builder and watchdog
Austrian newspapers in various foreign languages, which also report in German, are only important bridge builders between the receiving society, parties, state and cities in order to reach this target group in their mother tongue. They are also an important promoter of integration if they have an open, legally compliant imprint and a editorial policy that is unobjectionable in terms of democratic politics.
Seit 1999: Neue Heimat Zeitung-New Vatan Newspaper
That is why Austria urgently needs serious, trustworthy, secular and transparent Austro-Turkish and foreign-language newspapers such as Neue Heimat Zeitung-New Vatan Newspaper, that have been on the market for a long time. These multicultural newspapers must be supported in order to be able to transparently convey important Austrian values such as democracy, the rule of law, secularism, women’s rights and a pluralistic attitude to foreign-language people. For years, long-established, reputable Austro-Turkish newspapers have been reporting in Turkish and German, especially against this one foreign fundamentalist, clerical-fascist, anti-constitutional and reactionary sect organizations, which like to disguise themselves as NGOs (Non Government Organizations) or other associations under the guise of solidarity, peace and religious freedom. Let’s not give them a chance! Let’s promote reputable multicultural media in a targeted manner through equal treatment, funding and advertisements!
The Austro-Turkish newspaper Yeni Vatan Gazetesi-Neue Heimat Zeitung, which has been pursuing a free-democratic-secular-pluralistic attitude since 1999, raises an objection to the sweeping and generalizations compared to Austrian newspapers in Turkish and German.
The “Yeni Vatan Gazetesi” was founded in 1999 with the aim of building bridges in Austria without being influenced by anti-constitutional forces from abroad or at home. Neue Heimat Zeitung (Yeni Vatan Gazetesi) is a secular, constitutional, Austrian newspaper that calls for democratic rule of law at all levels. It enjoys a great reputation as a reputable, politically independent newspaper and offers a credible knowledge advantage on all topics that really matter to Austro-Turks. (Andreas Günes, 06/01/20223)
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