Problems and Solution Proposals of the Ottoman Economy by Hürriyet Newspaper

The first newspaper published in the Ottoman Empire was the newspaper of the year 1831 published by the state.It is to announce to the public the modernization movements in which this newspaper was made by the intended state and to direct the people to this issue. This newspaper has not succeeded in directing the public and the public has not been popular. Newspapers started to form public opinion in the Ottoman State after 1860. They questioned economic and political decisions of the state and harshly criticized state bureaucrats. As the newspapers grew in number, intellectuals who performed journalism professionally and were known as professional journalists emerged. These intellectuals used newspapers to check the state power and endeavored to inform public regarding state policies. Ottoman bureaucrats were annoyed by the success of the press in driving public opinion and issued decrees to limit press. Accordingly, bureaucrats closed down Muhbir ve Tasvir-i Efkar and exiled writers of the newspaper, namely Namık Kemal, Ziya Paşa and Ali Suavi to Anatolia. Journalists who were banished to Anatolia fled to Europe in order to keep fighting. They formed Yeni Osmanlılar Fellowship by coming together in Paris and kept striving to illuminate Ottoman public opinion. The fellowship formed Muhbir in 1867 and Hürriyet in 1868 in London. Hürriyet followed a dissident publication policy and published opinion articles regarding fiscal and political problems rather than giving news. Economic articles, which are the topic of this study, were seen in Hürriyet. In this articles, economic and fiscal policies of the state were criticized.

Keywords

Newspaper, Public opinion, Hürriyet, Economy, Yeni Osmanlılar