Turkish Journalists Denounce Erdogan’s Media Shackles
A journalists union in Turkey has organized a demonstration to condemn attacks on journalists in different parts of the country and restrictions on the press.
The protest was organized by the journalists union in the state of Tunceli, south-eastern Turkey, according to the website of the Turkish opposition newspaper Afransal, followed by Al-Ain News.
A representative of the protest group read a statement calling on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime to “ensure the lives of journalists and freedom of the press and publication in the country.”
“The ruling regime is not neutral because of its attacks on opposition journalists and media institutions that adopt positions that do not conform to its vision,” the statement said, blaming the government for any possible provocations or attacks that could later target journalists.
He pointed out that “institutions and people supported by the regime do not hesitate to target the opposition press,” pointing out that “newspapers that are biased towards the people, the oppressed, workers and other oppressed are constantly threatened.”
The statement also noted that the Turkish Supreme Council of Radio and Television has sent instructions to various television and radio stations not to highlight the forest fires that have been going on in a number of provinces since last Wednesday.
He also explained that the authorities have blocked the work of journalists who go to cover fires, and prevented many stations from covering the press conferences of ministers from the affected areas.
“The Supreme Council for Radio and Television, with such orders and instructions, confirms that it has lost its independence and has violated the principles of the media, which require the portrayal of the true image to be conveyed to the public opinion without deception or lying,” the statement said.
The statement continued: “As journalists defending the people’s right to news, we know that if actual reporting is suppressed, more misinformation will come in and then a suitable environment for provocation will be created!”
“All these developments show the state of affairs that the press has reached in Turkey under the current system of running the country,” he added.
Strong grip
In Turkey, 90% of the media are owned by businessmen close to the government – that is, under the control of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to an earlier report by Reporters Without Borders.
“Since President Erdogan took office in 2016, charges of insulting the President have been leveled against 63 journalists in Turkey.
It was noted that journalists were often prosecuted under the “anti-terrorism” law, and journalists working in the economy were prosecuted because of the laws on banks and financial markets.
According to a 2020 report by the opposition Republican People’s Party, the state of the media went worse last year.
Overall, 2020 was a very difficult year for journalists and freedom of the press, the report said, adding that the regime’s repressive practices against freedom of opinion were particularly severe.
“In 2020, 97 journalists resigned because of the censorship of the press, while other journalists did not find any means to work for them,” he said.
“There were 361 lawsuits against journalists in 2020, 86 arrests and 70 press arrests as of 1 January 2021,” he said.
Freedom of the press and the media in Turkey is in the midst of a major crisis, as the Erdogan regime has exercised significant restrictions and has even shut down newspapers and media for criticizing the deteriorating conditions in the country on all levels, especially the economic ones.
Lack of confidence in the official media
A survey last July revealed that journalism students at Turkish universities do not trust the official media.
According to the Turkish news website T-24, the survey was conducted at 20 universities in Turkey, and its results showed that journalism students do not trust the media close to the government, such as Anadolu Agency, TRT, Yeni Şafak and Yeni Akkad.
According to the results of the survey, 78% of the journalism students said “I don’t trust Anadolu Agency at all,” while 0% said “I trust a lot.”
Another 37% said “I don’t trust the TRT station at all,” while only 2% confirmed their trust in the channel.
The Turkish-language BBC, the Turkish version of Deutsche Welle, and Turkish Sputnik emerged as the most reliable news media for journalism students, followed by the secular-leaning Cumhuriyet newspaper.
The survey also found that men have a higher level of trust than women in news organizations close to the government, and vice versa for critical and independent media, women trust independent media more than men.
