Opposition TV Channels in Turkey Accused of 'Offensive Coverage' of Elections

On Tuesday, June 9, the Turkish Broadcasting Watchdog initiated investigations into six opposition television networks for what it termed 'insulting the public due to the way they covered the second round of Turkey's presidential elections.' The Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) stated that 'viewers' had complained about these channels. The investigations began after Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, won the second round of elections. His rival, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, while not rejecting the election results, claimed that this election was 'the most unfair election in recent years.' In March of this year, RTUK had fined four television stations for their election coverage. International human rights groups and opposition parties in Turkey have accused the council of being a tool of the government and attempting to silence dissenting media. 'Tele1,' one of the channels under investigation, wrote on its website: 'The government censorship apparatus has been activated.' Last year, Turkey ranked 153 out of 180 countries in the Press Freedom Index published annually by Reporters Without Borders, placing it in the 'high' category for government control over media. Gorkhan Ozturan, coordinator of the 'Rapid Response for Media Freedom' group at the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, stated: 'During the election period, the Radio and Television Supreme Council acted as an ally of the government to punish critical coverage and independent journalism.' He emphasized that this kind of treatment towards the media is unacceptable and creates an unfair environment for rival parties and candidates, casting the election results in a shadow of ambiguity. Kılıçdaroğlu: This was 'the most unfair' election in recent years in Turkey. The severe drop in the value of the lira followed Erdoğan's victory in the elections. Erdoğan's continued rule in Turkey; many world leaders congratulated him on his re-election. Erdoğan declared himself the winner of the second round of Turkey's presidential elections.