Turkey’s media watchdog fines opposition broadcasters once again over criticism of gov’t

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Turkey's Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) member İlhan Taşçı from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) announced that the watchdog has once again fined three opposition broadcasters.

Taşçı tweeted that RTÜK imposed a 3 percent revenue fine against Fox TV over anchor Gülbin Tosun’s remarks “criticizing the rulership’s understanding of women ‘should not study, but should lock themselves in the house and make babies.’”

During a program on Fox TV, Tosun had said, “The (ruling) People’s Alliance does not want you to study, to work,” which received the reaction of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Taşçı said that RTÜK imposed another 3 percent revenue fine against Halk TV over the remarks uttered during a program presented by journalist Ayşeneur Arslan. In the program, Arslan and guest Turgut Kazan had talked about the government’s inadequate response to the post-quake rescue efforts, touching upon citizens’ own efforts to find cranes to lift the rubble and save their beloved ones.

Arslan and Kazan had also criticized the government for not sharing the “correct figures” with regards to the number of death toll in the quake zone.

Taşçı said that RTÜK imposed the third fine on Tele 1 for considering the criticism levied by journalist Merdan Yanardağ and social scientist Prof. Dr. Emre Kongar against the AKP-run Şanlıurfa Municipality as “humiliating the municipality.”

During the program named “18 Dakika” (18 minutes), Yanardağ and Kongar had talked about the allegations that Şanlıurfa Municipality had sent the monetary aid received from abroad to Taliban in Afghanistan.

“According to RTÜK, if you stand by the rulership, you are ‘unbiased,’ if you stand against it, you are violating the unbiasedness,” Taşçı wrote.