CHP's Bulut on Google: 'Many websites are under threat of closure'

Burhanettin Bulut, CHP Deputy Chairman responsible for Media and Public Relations, stated in a Parliamentary Inquiry motion submitted to the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) that independent and free journalism in Turkey is becoming increasingly difficult due to both governmentpressures and economic conditions.
Emphasizing that independent media organizations currently operating under difficult conditions in Turkey are facing the threat of closure due to the embargo Google has placed on reader traffic, Bulut said that danger bells are ringing for many outlets, from national to local websites.

'WEBSITES ARE FACING THE THREAT OF CLOSURE'

CHP's Bulut stated, '98 percent of the reader traffic directed through Google's 'Discover' and 'News' tools has been eliminated for many news sites. While the 'Discover' traffic of some news sites has been completely wiped out, it is unknown how Google directs traffic flow to media organizations and what criteria it bases this process on. Google's algorithm updates have caused traffic losses for online news outlets. Because the Press Advertising Agency (BİK) bases its criteria on the Google algorithm, the advertising revenues of news sites, which depend on ads for their existence, have decreased, and websites have faced dangers such as closure, downsizing, or suspension of publication.'

'MEDIA WORKERS ARE IN A DIFFICULT SITUATION'

Pointing out that layoffs have increased due to declining advertising revenues, that many media workers have become unemployed, that they cannot receive their salaries or deserved raises, and that workers who have spent years in the profession are forced to survive on minimum wage or slightly above in an environment of economic crisis, Bulut noted the following:
'One of the most important elements of developing and protecting democracy is freedom of thought and expression. The freer the media—which ensures the public receives accurate news, acts as the conscience of the public, and holds a mirror to the truth—the stronger that country's democracy is. The closure of independent outlets, which can be counted on the fingers of one hand and act in accordance with the universal principles of journalism, will lead to the disappearance of independent and free journalism, make the press monolithic, strike a blow to our democracy, deprive the public of their right to receive news, and prevent the public from accessing accurate and impartial information.'

'THEY MUST BE SUPPORTED AND LEGAL REGULATIONS MUST BE ENACTED'

It is clear that internet news sites in our country need to be supported and require legal regulations to remain economically viable. A Parliamentary Inquiry should be opened to investigate the problems experienced by websites due to Google's algorithm updates that violate competition and strike a blow to media independence, to determine measures to prevent the closure of independent and free media outlets, and to identify the economic hardships faced by print, visual, and digital media workers who are condemned to low wages and job insecurity."