As of: February 13, 2024, 5:09 p.m
By: Erkan Pehlivan
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Press
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The state broadcaster TRT Haber hardly lets the opposition speak.
Critics see it as a propaganda tool for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP.
Ankara - Local elections will take place in Turkey on March 31st.
The election campaign is already in full swing.
The parties have nominated their candidates for the mayor's office.
This time, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AKP party want to retake the metropolis of Istanbul and the capital Ankara.
To achieve the goal, state television TRT is also being mobilized.
In the news channel of the state broadcaster TRT Haber you can clearly see how unfairly the broadcast time in the live broadcasts is divided between Erdogan and the leader of the opposition CHP party, Özgür Özel.
Hardly any speaking time for the opposition in Türkiye on satellite television
In a 40-day period (January 1, 2024 - February 10), Erdogan's speeches were broadcast live for a total of 1,945 minutes.
During the same period, the opposition leader's speech was broadcast for only 25 minutes.
The president received around 78 times more airtime than his opponent.
Tuncay Keser and İlhan Taşcı published the numbers on X.
Both men are members of the state broadcasting authority RTÜK and also members of the CHP.
A peak in the unfair distribution of broadcasting time occurred on February 6th.
Erdogan got 6 hours and 42 minutes.
The leader of the right-wing radical MHP and partner of the AKP government, Devlet Bahceli only 38 minutes.
The opposition Iyi Parti and its leader Meral Aksener 1 minute and 53 seconds.
CHP boss Özel received nothing from TRT Haber that day.
Opposition accuses TRT Haber of criminal activity
“An exemplary testimony to the history of the press.
In the 24-hour TRT News, Erdoğan and Bahçeli were visible for 7 hours and 20 minutes, while Özgür Özel and the CHP were not visible for even a second.
The TRT leadership has once again failed in journalism.
The TRT leadership is committing a crime against the people with the people’s money,” writes Keser on X.
Tasci also makes a similar statement on
We will continue to prosecute the arbitrariness and illegality of the TRT leaders who ignore a section of the people.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to retake Istanbul and Ankara in the local elections on March 31st.
© dpa/Marton Monus
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Similar scenario in the 2023 Turkish election
Even in the run-up to the 2023 Turkish election, Erdogan was able to use any broadcast time he wanted on state television.
The broadcast times for the live broadcasts between April 1st and May 3rd, 2023 also clearly show how much the state media favors Erdogan and his allies.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan (AKP) |
48 hours, 45 minutes, 53 seconds |
Devlet Bahceli (MHP) |
28 hours, 53 minutes, 54 seconds |
Mustafa Destici (BBP) |
45 minutes |
Kemal Kilicdaroglu (CHP) |
32 minutes, 23 seconds |
Meral Aksener (IYI Party) |
0 |
Sinan Ogan |
0 |
CHP files criminal charges against TRT boss
According to information from the Turkish news agency ANKA, the CHP has filed a criminal complaint against the director of TRT, Zahid Sobacı.
Sobaci has led to a partisan broadcasting policy since the day he took office.
“The TRT law requires TRT channels to act impartially in their broadcasts, but the current TRT management is failing to fulfill this obligation.
During the election period, TRT worked as the AKP's propaganda machine,” ANKA quoted CHP head in Ankara Ali Hikmet Akilli as saying.
TRT did what a television station should do so that the AKP and Erdogan win the election.
Erdogan fills TRT leadership with people close to the government
Erdogan reassigned the leadership of TRT on July 14, 2021.
If you look at the names, you can understand why the opposition is practically completely ignored and the station has practically become a mouthpiece for Erdogan and his AKP.
Director Sobaci had previously worked for the AKP-affiliated SETA Foundation, as had board members Hilal Kaplan, Veysel Kurt and Meryem İlayda Atlas.
Oguz Göksu and Mücahid Eker were employed by the Presidential Communications Director.
In addition, the opposition parties are at odds with each other and have not yet put forward a common candidate.
This means that the AKP seems to be able to provide the mayor again in Istanbul and Ankara.