CHP reacts to the Press Advertising Agency: 'Public money is being siphoned off!'

While new pressures and censorship are added every day to the field of press and freedom of expression in Turkey, many media organizations that cannot receive an equal share of public advertisements are closing down one by one. CHP's journalist-turned-MP Utku Çakırözer drew attention to the injustices in the distribution of public advertisements in the Turkish Grand National Assembly and demanded an audit of the Press Advertising Agency by the Court of Accounts.

Çakırözer said, "Not a single second of advertising has been given to NOW TV, Sözcü, Halk TV, Tele1, KRT, or TV5 from the 43 billion lira advertising budget of two public banks over the last twenty years. There is not a single centimeter of advertising for Sözcü, Cumhuriyet, BirGün, Milli Gazete, Karar, Korkusuz, Yeni Asya, Yeniçağ, or Evrensel from the billions of liras in public institution advertisements. Billions of liras of the poor public are being siphoned off through unwatched channels and 'signboard' newspapers. Let the Press Advertising Agency be subjected to Court of Accounts audits; let the agency not empty the coffers or incur losses! Resources should be transferred to our Anatolian press and unemployed journalists."

PROPOSAL REJECTED BY AKP AND MHP VOTES

Reacting to the 'influence agent' regulation, which was brought back to the Parliament's agenda, Çakırözer said, "There is also a gang to silence the free press! With the article they put into the judicial package, they are planning to censor journalists they could not digest this time by putting them into the 'espionage, influence agent' sack. We will defend freedom of expression and the press and the right to receive news to the end, and we will fight for this to the end."

"THERE IS ALSO A GANG TO SILENCE THE FREE PRESS"

CHP Eskişehir MP Utku Çakırözer submitted a legislative proposal to the Turkish Grand National Assembly for the auditing of the equal distribution of public advertisements to the press and for the Press Advertising Agency to be subjected to Court of Accounts audits. Çakırözer's legislative proposal was rejected by the votes of the AKP and MHP.

"35 MILLION LIRA FINE TO 7 CHANNELS"

Pointing out that journalists and media organizations in Turkey are fighting against a gang that wants to silence the free press, Çakırözer explained the justification for the proposal in the Parliament and said the following:

"Freedom of the press is the guarantee of the public's right to receive news, which is indispensable for democracy. For instance, if it weren't for journalists like Emrullah Erdinç, Seyhan Avşar, and many others, we would not have been aware today that there is no limit to evil, and that there is a gang that targets the lives of newborn babies for money. However, these brave journalists and media organizations in Turkey are struggling to survive. Against whom?

Against another 'gang' that wants to silence the free press. There is another gang in this country that has joined hands to prevent massacres, negligence, harassment, and corruption from being known and held accountable. Who are they? At the head is the government's communications commissioner. They have prosecutors who consider news a crime upon the government's instructions. There is RTÜK, which has become the government's stick, which has fined 7 channels, primarily NOW TV, Halk TV, and Tele1, 35 million liras this year, and even banned laughing."

BILLIONS OF LIRAS OF CITIZENS TO UNWATCHED CHANNELS, SIGNBOARD NEWSPAPERS

Drawing attention to the injustices in the distribution of advertisements by public institutions to newspapers and television channels, Çakırözer said:

"The gang also has a financial arm. Tax expert Ozan Bingöl announced it. The advertising budget of just 2 public banks over the last twenty years is 43 billion liras. So, where have these advertisements been published? Do you ever see them on the most-watched channels? For example, there is not a single second on NOW TV, Sözcü, Halk TV, Tele1, KRT, or TV5. There is not a single centimeter of advertising for Sözcü, Cumhuriyet, BirGün, Milli Gazete, Karar, Korkusuz, Yeni Asya, Yeniçağ, or Evrensel from the billions of liras in public institution advertisements. On the contrary, the siphoning of billions of liras of this poor public through unwatched channels and signboard newspapers continues at full speed."

NEWSPAPERS ARE CLOSING, PLURALISM IS BEING DESTROYED

"This gang also has a Press Advertising Agency leg. It was established so that 'there would be no fed press, and the press could survive with the fair distribution of public advertisements,' but now it has turned into an institution of punishment and emptying the coffers. It unlawfully usurps the advertising rights of newspapers that the government does not like. For example, Evrensel has not been able to receive the advertisements it is entitled to since 2019. When the Constitutional Court said 'Stop,' they turned to the Anatolian press this time. They rain down fines on newspapers and websites with fabricated excuses, creating excuses from their mastheads, printing, or employees. They threaten them by saying, 'We will not let those who object survive.' They force newspapers to close or merge. They are destroying pluralism and leaving journalists unemployed."

"THEY BOUGHT SOFTWARE FOR 3.5 MILLION DOLLARS"

"We passed a law here so that the internet press could also benefit from public advertisements, but this Press Advertising Agency put all sorts of obstacles in their way. We shouted many times, 'Loosen the conditions,' but they did not listen. They bought hardware and software from outside for exactly 3.5 million dollars to control the data of 400 sites. With the budget they could have used to support hundreds of news sites, they funneled the rights of the Anatolian press to their cronies."

33 NEWSPAPERS CLOSED IN 3 MONTHS

Stating that "Newspapers are closing one by one in Kayseri, Kütahya, Balıkesir, Hatay, Ankara, and many other cities," Çakırözer said, "33 newspapers closed in three months. The number of local newspapers, which was 1,800, has fallen to the 700s. While this is the case, what is the Press Advertising Agency busy with? It has abandoned its primary duty and turned into a real estate company. Sell that building, rent the other. It has added the budget that is the right of the Anatolian press to the top management's salaries as a sweet bonus. It changes the regulation so that the general manager can stay in the seat after the age of 65. Who cares if the Anatolian press is disappearing? Instead of talking to state institutions and local governments to increase the variety and volume of advertisements, it threatens newspapers and forces them to close," he said.

LET THE COURT OF ACCOUNTS AUDIT, RESOURCES BE GIVEN TO THE ANATOLIAN PRESS

Calling for the Press Advertising Agency to be subjected to Court of Accounts audits and for the agency's resources to be transferred to the Anatolian press and unemployed journalists, Çakırözer said, "Journalists in Zonguldak, a city of laborers, have been on watch for two days. What are they saying? They are asking for support from the Press Advertising Agency for the Anatolian press to improve working conditions and personal rights. That is why we submitted this legislative proposal so that all financial affairs of the Press Advertising Agency must be subjected to Court of Accounts audits. They, however, lean on the Directorate of Communications, having it audit its budget, and bypassing it. They are already former landlord and tenants; the bootlegger's witness is the moonshiner. There must be a Court of Accounts audit so that the Press Advertising Agency does not empty the coffers, does not incur losses, and makes a profit, so that the already limited resources can be transferred to our Anatolian press and unemployed journalists."

THEY WILL SUPPRESS THOSE THEY COULD NOT SILENCE WITH PRESSURE THROUGH 'INFLUENCE AGENTRY'

Çakırözer also reacted to the 'influence agent' regulation, which was removed from the 9th Judicial Package as a result of the opposition's objections in the previous legislative term but was brought back to the Parliament's agenda in the new term.

Çakırözer said the following:

"The gang, which is in an effort to destroy the free press and the public's right to receive news, is unfortunately also using our supreme Parliament as a tool for this. They brought a law called 'fighting disinformation,' and first they censored news and journalists. They said, 'We will protect personal rights,' and blocked access to exactly 1 million sites containing news about corruption, irregularities, and abuse related to themselves. Despite the Constitutional Court's decision, they are still censoring unlawfully. Today, this gang has come here again. With the article they put into the judicial package, they are planning to stifle and censor the reporters, writers, media organizations, non-governmental organizations, and academics they could not digest and silence this time by putting them into the 'espionage' and 'influence agent' sack. Let it be heard and known from here that journalism is not a crime. We will defend freedom of expression and the press and the right to receive news to the end, and we will fight for this to the end."