International rights groups say independent Turkish media is under attack, with journalists facing fines and arrests over critical reporting of Erdogan's handling of last month's earthquake. The crackdown comes as the battle over control of the disaster narrative could prove key to determining the outcome of the May presidential polls.
Local media like Jin news were at the forefront of reporting on February's deadly earthquakes, highlighting what critics claim was the government's and emergency services' slow response.
Police attention
The reporting drew unwanted attention from the police,
"First, they prevented us from working; instead of reporting from the quake-hit area we were made to wait for two hours," explains Jin news reporter Sema Caglak.
"The police took our press cards and then they took us to the police precinct. We were kept there for 3-4 hours and were asked why we came to the quake zone."
The New York-based Human Rights Watch released a video condemning the arrest of several journalists covering the quake, who also had their equipment confiscated and destroyed in some cases.
The government claim there is no systematic policy against the media, insisting that any actions by police against journalists were the result of individual officers working in a difficult situation.
But independent tv stations like Halk TV, critical of the government's handling of the quake, were also targeted by heavy fines and temporary broadcasting bans for inciting public hatred.
"In Turkey, more than 90% of the media is under government control," explains Halk TV News Editor in Chief Bengu Sap Babaeker.
"So we knew that the fines would come because we were giving the voice of the people and the voice of the earthquake survivors."
"But what we are really afraid of is being completely shut down," added Babaeker, "so there is self-censorship and extreme care in our reporting to try and avoid this."
Targeting TV stations
International rights groups have condemned the penalites saying the fined tv stations were only engaged in critical reporting and that the penalties have more to do with looming elections.
"We should underline that these fines are targeting these main critical TV stations before the elections, before the upcoming elections, which are supposed to take place on 14 of May," claims Erol Onderoglu, Turkey representative for the Paris-based Reporters without Borders.
"So it is also a way to weaken financially weak critical media in Turkey. And, of course, by this, to control the discourse that the government tries to impose on public opinion," added Onderoglu.
Prosecutors have started using newly introduced legislation criminalizing disinformation on social media, a crime that carries jail time.
Reporters Without Borders reported that Turkish journalist Firat Bulut was arrested under the disinformation law while reporting on the earthquake. In a tweet, they are calling for his release.
📢 #Türkiye 🇹🇷 RSF calls for the release of @yesilgazete journalist @firat_buluttt, arrested for “disinformation” as he was back reporting from Malatya, a city hit by the February 6 earthquake. The abuse of disinformation laws must stop ! pic.twitter.com/RTjAftApDg
— RSF (@RSF_inter) March 10, 2023
With looming presidential elections, journalists predict pressure will grow. "There is the reality, and we tried to show it through our reporting," said Jin news journalist Sema Caglak.
"The public who saw the reality no longer has faith in the state. From the first day of the quake until now, the question was, 'where is the government?'.
"I don't think the pressure of the government on the press will decrease, and I think it will become more difficult with the election process."
Control of the quake narrative could be key to deciding the May presidential elections, which is why Halk TV News Babaeker says independent media poses such a threat to the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's dreams of re-election.
"The government wants to go to the elections on the grounds that this earthquake is an unprecedentedly large earthquake and that no country could cope with it. Despite this, the government claims miracles have been achieved," explained Babaeker.
"But the news we make telling the reality does not fit the atmosphere that the government wants to establish in Turkey on the way to the elections, which is very damaging to the narrative," Babaerker concluded.
As the death toll passes, 50,000 dead, and millions more remain homeless; whether such terrible destruction was unavoidable or the result of government incompetence and corruption is a question that is likely to dominate the elections and their outcome.
The battle for control of the quake narrative and the media's reporting will be key.
