TÜRKİYE ORTA ASYA HABER KOORDİNATÖRÜ

RSF RAPORTERS WİTHOUT BORDERS: Türkiye,REPORT ALINTI DÜNYA TÜRK HABE4R:WORLD TURKISH NEWS/Canada IFJ-INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF JOURNALİST With authoritarianism gaining ground in Türkiye, media pluralism is being called into question. All possible means are used to undermine critics. Media landscape With 90% of the national media now under government control, the public has turned, during the past five years, to critical or independent media outlets of different political biases to learn about the impact of the economic and political crisis on the country. They include Fox TV, Halk TV, Tele1 and Sözcü, as well as local and international news sites such as BBC Turkish, VOA Turkish and Deutsche Welle Turkish. Political context After the 2023 elections, violence and mass arrests became the most-used tactics to repress media professionals covering rallies and protests. The almost systematic online censorship, arbitrary lawsuits against critical media outlets and the exploitation of the judicial system have not yet led to the recovery of the “hyper-president’s” popularity ratings as he continues to be embroiled in a major practice involving political clientelism. Legal framework Discriminatory practices against critical journalists and media outlets, such as stripping them of press passes, are commonplace. Judges who do the government’s bidding try to limit democratic debate by censoring online articles tackling corruption and other sensitive topics. After abusively targeting journalists with charges of spreading disinformation, the proposed amendment on “agents of influence” threatens to turn into a new legislative tool to crack down on journalism. In this difficult environment, some journalists have nonetheless tried to remain faithful to their mission to report the news with complete independence and are demanding recognition of a “media mediator” (ombudsman). Economic context The government and private sector companies allied with the government endanger media pluralism by channelling ads and subsidies to media outlets that give them favourable coverage. The Press Advertising Agency (BIK) uses the allocation of state advertising to put financial pressure on recalcitrant dailies, while the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) helps to financially weaken critical TV channels by issuing astronomical fines. Some daily newspapers have also had to reduce their number of pages due to the price of newsprint. Sociocultural context Lawsuits for “insult” are sometimes brought against journalists who question religious, judicial or government figures. References to domestic violence or various forms of abuse, especially when made by women journalists, can give rise to social media hate campaigns. Safety Members and leaders of the ultranationalist MHP party, an ally of President Erdogan's AKP, do not hesitate to threaten journalists who dare to draw attention to embarrassing issues. Cases of violence against journalists during the 2019 elections resulted in lenient sentences or endless trials, highlighting the culture of impunity in the country. Reporters covering anti-government protests are targeted by law enforcement. Journalists daring to cover attacks on secularism, the impact of religious groups (Tarikat) or regional jihadist organisations are increasingly exposed to threats. -