Turkey’s Supreme Council of Radio and Television, the state agency that monitors and sanctions television and radio broadcasts, fined television channels Halk TV, Tele 1 and FOX on Wednesday for reporting deficiencies in the Turkish government’s response to the earthquake on February 6, which caused more than 42,000 fatalities. The sanctions, which represent 5% of monthly income in January, have been denounced by the opposition and associations in defense of freedom of expression. Additionally, they were ordered to suspend one of their daily shows for five days.
All three networks are known for taking editorial lines critical of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, and Halk TV is strongly aligned with the CHP party, Turkey’s main opposition.
Ilhan Tasci, a member of the Supreme Council of Radio and Television and of the main opposition party, CHP, denounced that the motivation for the fines is clearly political. “Those who follow the truth are expected to drown in silence,” he declared, adding that the ruling party is in a hurry “not to lose power in elections.”
Turkish Journalists Association director Nazmi Bilgin called the decision a “crime” against viewers and described the regulatory body as a “censorship board.” “They are ignoring the public’s right to receive news and the right of those affected by the earthquake to be informed, they are committing a great crime,” he declared. The editor-in-chief of Tele 1, Merdan Yanardag, also described the sanctions as “total shame”. .
Last week, the Reporters Without Borders association published a report denouncing that journalists trying to cover the aftermath of the earthquake on the ground “have been repeatedly obstructed by the Turkish authorities” and urged the authorities to “end to its unacceptable harassment and interference and respect the right to inform”. Specifically, RSF recorded three cases of journalists being arrested and several cases of attacks and threats by Turkish security forces.
Likewise, the Committee to Protect Journalists has issued a statement in which it asks the Turkish authorities to “revoke the sanctions imposed on the stations FOX TV Turkey, Halk TV and TELE1, and refrain from silencing media criticism of the government and their institutions”.
This desire to control the narrative is not in vain. Erdogan is seeking re-election as president this year, and his administration’s handling of the earthquake has become a key battleground. Many destitute families have lashed out at the government for not being able to reach them and save their loved ones from the rubble. The main opposition leader, who competes neck-and-neck with Erdogan in opinion polls, has led the criticism.
Turkey passed a law in October punishing the spread of “fake news” with up to three years in prison, and according to Reporters Without Borders, Turkey ranked 149 out of 180 for press freedom in 2022.
