Does media policy promote media freedom and independence? The case of Turkey
- The report aims to analyze and explain the actors and processes of media policy
making in Turkey; the substance and implementation of such policies; the legal framework
governing media content; the ownership structure of the media; the working conditions of
journalists; and the emerging social efforts to combat discrimination and hate speech in the
media. IT argues that the prospects for media independence and freedom in Turkey appear
extremely weak. In a sector driven by corporate interests, nepotism and clientelist relations,
the media owners do not have the incentive to provide truthful and critical news coverage.
The historical weakness of trade unions in Turkey, the high level of unemployment among
journalists, the high turnover rate in the sector and the deep divisions among journalists due
to ideological differences make it very difficult for media employees to engage in a unified
struggle against their employers. The lack of a strong pro-democracy social movement, the
ideological conservatism of the judiciary, the institutional weakness of the parliament and the
lack of democracy within political parties render the government –and future governments–
too powerful vis-à-vis the society and the media. On the other hand, the inability and the
unwillingness of the media to regulate itself, as well as the authoritarian and punitive nature
of state regulation, has mobilized the civil society to monitor the media’s compliance with
universal principles and professional ethical codes and to combat discrimination and hate
speech in the media.