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Time of India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
US public media shutdown hits harder in Turkey
US President 's shutdown of US media outlet Voice of America, or VOA, has had a particularly strong impact in countries like Turkey where press freedom has long been under threat. As a result of the Trump administration's defunding of the US government-funded international news service on March 14, the organization has effectively ceased operations. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now News websites in all languages have not been updated for more than two months. Broadcasts on television and radio have either stopped completely or switched to music-only programming. Before suspending service, VOA, which was often one of the rare sources of uncensored news in countries like Turkey, broadcast in 49 languages to a weekly audience estimated at 354 million people worldwide. Banned in Turkey Turkey, where approximately 90% of major media outlets are government-controlled, banned access to the Turkish-language website of VOA in 2022, alongside all language versions of Deutsche Welle, or DW. Since then, VOA had been trying to reach its audience in Turkey via a "mirror" website that reproduced the content of the original platform, until Trump shuttered the broadcaster completely in mid-March. Media rights group Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, ranks Turkey 159th out of 180 countries in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index, citing ongoing repression of journalists. There are currently 17 journalists in prison in Turkey. RSF Turkey representative Erol Onderoglu told DW that international media organizations like VOA, the BBC and DW have emerged as "constructive" role models in recent years, as the country's increasingly polarized press environment has seen a significant decline in quality and freedom. The Turkish-language services of international broadcasters gained prominence as independent media in Turkey have diminished. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Their newsrooms are based abroad but the language services also employ a small number of reporters within the country. "VOA has also played an important role in opening the voice of Turkey's civil society movement and journalism community to the outside world and breaking the effects of isolation," Onderoglu said. VOA Turkish was one of the most important sources for audiences in Turkey, especially regarding developments between Ankara and Washington. "Whenever there was a development in the US that could put the Erdogan government in a difficult position — for instance, an allegation that could lead to sanctions on Turkey over Iran — the first website I would check was VOA's," one of VOA's Turkish audience told DW. Journalists at risk Following Trump's decision to halt federal funding to the parent agency of VOA, most of the Washington-based news service's roughly 1,300 staffers were placed on administrative leave as a first step toward termination. A group of VOA employees affected by the March executive order has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing the president of executive overreach. A federal appeals court in early May blocked a ruling that had ordered the Trump administration to put VOA employees back to work. Following the appeal court's decision on World Press Freedom Day, the Trump administration has accelerated efforts to carry out the layoffs. Nearly 600 contractors, who received termination notices on May 15, were instructed to return their press credentials, badges and other VOA property by May 30. Some affected employees are J-1 visa holders and face imminent deportation, with only 30 days to leave the US. VOA Director Michael Abramowitz, also one of the plaintiffs in the court case, said that many of those journalists "have escaped tyranny in their home countries to tell America's story of freedom and democracy." On Thursday, Abramowitz noted that the May 3 decision remained in effect after the appeals court rejected a request for an en banc review, a full reconsideration by all eleven judges — and warned that the Trump administration could push for further layoffs. An unwanted 'voice' silenced Speaking to DW, a Turkey-based VOA employee recalled the day the broadcaster abruptly shut down operations: "Our colleagues in Washington were asked to vacate their offices during working hours. Their badges were seized. They didn't even wait for the end of the day. News operations came to a sudden halt. We couldn't even complete the reports we were working on." The journalist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that VOA stood out in a media environment increasingly under pressure from "an authoritarian regime." "It was perceived as a threat by the ruling party, facing both access bans and smear campaigns by pro-government outlets targeting VOA staff. In that sense, it's likely that the government welcomed the shutdown of VOA," they said. The VOA has also produced broadcasts critical of the US governments, they pointed out: "For example, when experts criticized the US in analyses of Turkish-American relations, such comments were never censored." Trump's 'war' on journalism Antoine Bernard, director of advocacy and strategic litigation at RSF, told DW that Trump's attempts to shut down VOA must be understood in the larger context of "his war on the press." "He has targeted public media funding, launched politically motivated investigations into media he doesn't like, and banned journalists from the White House for refusing to use the exact words he wants them to use. Quite simply, he does not tolerate independent media", he said. RSF recently warned of "an alarming deterioration in press freedom" in the US under President Trump. The organization highlighted how Trump exacerbated already difficult conditions by cutting off US financial support for state-funded broadcasters such as VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Earlier this month, Trump signed yet another executive order seeking to slash funding for the US' Public Broadcasting Service, or PBS and National Public Radio, or NPR. The Trump administration also launched Federal Communications Commission investigations into major media outlets, including ABC News, CBS News, PBS and NPR.
Middle East Eye
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Istanbul court orders release of arrested journalists as Imamoglu protests continue
An Istanbul court has ordered the release of eight arrested journalists as protests continue in Turkey over the jailing of the city's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. The journalists, including a photographer for the AFP news agency and an number of freelancers, were remanded in custody on Tuesday for "taking part in illegal rallies and marches". Despite an official ban, demonstrations have swept Turkey since Imamoglu, a popular opposition leader and upcoming presidential candidate who could potentially challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested on 19 March. On Thursday, media monitoring group MLSA said a number of journalists had been released from pre-trial detention after it appealed. A video released on their social media feed showed Bulent Kilic, Kurtulus Ari, Ali Onur Tosun, Hayri Tunc and Gokhan Kam after their release from Silivri prison. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters AFP photojournalist Yasin Akgul and reporter Zeynep Kuray were also reportedly set to be released on Thursday. Erol Onderoglu, Turkey chief for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), told Middle East Eye that while it welcomed the release of the journalists, there was deep concern at the "impunity" the security services enjoyed when it came to targeting media workers. "Looking at the high scale of demonstrations, we have noticed a radical and extremely concerning type of intervention on media exercise which has once again shown to us that the right to report freely is maybe the last priority of the government and law enforcement," he said. 'The main goal seems to be the prevention of coverage, reports and images reflecting police brutalities' - Erol Onderoglu, RSF Onderoglu, who has himself faced prison over his media work, said the arrest of AFP journalists also proved that those working for international media outlets had no extra protection compared with local ones. "The main goal seems to be the prevention of coverage, reports and images reflecting police brutalities," he said. Two journalists arrested in the city of Izmir on Tuesday remain in custody. Turkey has regularly been described as the world's worst jailer of journalists by media freedom organisations. President Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and previous Turkish administrations have long been accused of suppressing press freedom, with crackdowns on critical journalists escalating dramatically after the 2016 coup attempt. AFP on Tuesday called the arrest of Akgul "unacceptable". 'Yasin Akgul was not part of the protest. As a journalist, he was covering one of the many demonstrations that have been organised in the country since Wednesday 19 March," said chief executive and chairman Fabrice Fries in a statement. "He has taken exactly 187 photographs since the start of the protests, each one a witness to his work as a journalist." 'No concessions' The outcry over Imamoglu's arrest has sparked arguably the biggest street protests in Turkey in more than a decade, with cities and towns across the country swamped by demonstrators angry at what has been seen as an attempt to subvert democracy. Imamoglu was on Sunday confirmed by the People's Republican Party (CHP) as their candidate for the next presidential election. The mayor's poll ratings suggest he could potentially defeat Erdogan and put an end to the AKP's more than 23 years of rule. The Interior Ministry said 1,879 had been arrested since protests began, while 150 police officers had been injured. Ekrem Imamoglu: The Istanbul opposition mayor arrested in Turkey Read More » Of those arrested, 260 have been imprisoned or are in custody, while more than 950 have been released under judicial supervision, restricting their movements. Erdogan on Thursday told a meeting of the AKP that the protests were an attempt by the CHP to "oust us through illegitimate means". "The judiciary will hold those behind any sabotage against the Turkish economy and the wellbeing of the nation accountable," he said. On Wednesday, the Istanbul City Council elected an interim mayor, Nuri Aslan - also a member of the CHP - to replace Imamoglu, allaying fears the state would appoint an administrator. Further protests are planned for Thursday evening, while the CHP has planned a demonstration on Saturday. While many of those taking part in protests have been supporters of the CHP and Imamoglu, they have drawn in a much wider range of people concerned about a lingering economic crisis and increasing authoritarianism in Turkey. Students from Istanbul University - whose withdrawal of a degree from Imamoglu, thus invalidating his right to run for president, sparked the current crisis - told MEE last week that they were fighting for fundamental freedoms and radical change in Turkey, not just a change of government. "The situation in Turkey is not a uniquely Turkish problem - people everywhere are losing their basic rights, and of course they will become politicised," they said, using the name Ogrenci Dayanismasi (Student Solidarity). "The process may change, but the struggle must continue with the same determination."
