The destruction of press freedom: How Erdogan's regime is controlling the media

In an alarming development that is causing concern far beyond national borders, Turkey under President Erdoğan has become a hotspot for repression of press freedom. Reporters Without Borders' latest Press Freedom Index ranks the country 155th out of 180 – a testament to how the once diverse media landscape has fallen almost entirely under the control of the government and businesspeople close to it.

Historical continuity of oppression

Turkish media history has always been marked by pressure on journalists, as journalist and author Duygu Özkan explains. Since the founding of the Republic 100 years ago, media professionals have been caught between the power interests of politics, the military, and business. This was tragically illustrated by the murders of investigative journalist Uğur Mumcu in the early 1990s and Hrant Dink in 2007, who was defamed and ultimately murdered by nationalist media. Even though such murders are not commonplace, Birol Kilic, a Turkish media publisher working in Austria, describes a dramatic deterioration of the situation in 2023.

Methods of conformity and repression

The Erdoğan government uses a wide arsenal of instruments to silence the media. Lawsuits and economic pressure through aggressive advertising policies put media outlets under severe financial strain to prevent critical reporting. Pro-Kurdish media outlets like Özgür Gündem are particularly affected; their staff were regularly imprisoned even before the 2016 coup attempt. After the coup attempt, the newsroom was forcibly shut down. The Mesopotamian Agency, the successor to a former news agency, also continues to operate today under intense state pressure.

Illusion of diversity and propaganda

Even Kurdish-language state broadcasters like TRT Kurdî are not independent voices, but merely disseminate pro-government narratives. CNN Türk, originally part of the global CNN network, is now controlled by a holding company close to the government and continuously broadcasts pro-government content. The same applies to the daily newspaper Sabah, owned by Çalık Holding and considered a mouthpiece for Erdoğan. Kilic particularly emphasizes that the judiciary in Turkey now acts entirely in accordance with the government and no longer represents an independent institution. He also criticizes the government for deliberately instrumentalizing religion to incite the population against one another.

Islands of Resistance

Despite the overwhelming pressure, small oases of freedom of expression still exist. The newspaper BirGün remains an example of steadfast, government-critical journalism. Turkish-language editions of foreign media are also important, even if their reach remains limited. Duygu Özkan reports on her own research in Turkey, which is possible for her as an Austrian journalist, while Turkish colleagues, especially those of Kurdish background, are significantly more at risk.

Social media: Digital lifelines in repressive times

Digital platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram provide crucial spaces for the free exchange of information in Turkey, spaces that are virtually nonexistent in traditional media. Despite regular government blocking and censorship measures, particularly on YouTube, social networks remain central venues for debate and resistance. Their immense importance was demonstrated most notably during the Gezi Park protests, and they continue to exert pressure on the government and the AKP to this day.

Democracy held hostage by political power games

The unresolved "Kurdish question" remains a key obstacle to a stable Turkish democracy. As long as democratically elected parties like the HDP are marginalized and their representatives imprisoned, democracy in Turkey remains incomplete. Özkan emphasizes that democracy encompasses not only majority decisions but must also allow every minority to express their opinions without fear. It is precisely this freedom, however, that is systematically suppressed by Erdoğan's regime.

Germany and Europe are closely monitoring developments in Turkey as the country faces the major challenge of reclaiming its fundamental values ​​of freedom of expression and of the press.