Dibs

Yes, journalists do get sentenced to jail time for what they write. According to Turkish site Bianet.org, Istanbul reporter and author Murat Yetkin is on trial, facing a 4.5-year sentence, for “attempting to influence a fair trial” by criticizing in his paper, Radikal, the court case of Orhan Pamuk. Once beloved in his native Turkey but now controversial — his bestselling novel Snow is about the clash between Western and Islamic values — Pamuk faced charges last year after publicly raising the topic of the 1915-17 Armenian genocide. He considers himself a rare Turkish free-speech advocate. Yetkin is one of several reporters now facing charges based on their coverage of the trial. This puts freedom of speech and of the press around the world in perspective, doesn’t it?