TGC: Journalists should not target their colleagues

The following views were included in the statement made by the TGC:

“According to a report by UN Women, seven out of every 10 female journalists reporting on human rights issues are subjected to digital violence due to inadequate legal regulations, anonymity, and artificial intelligence applications.

The latest example of digital violence, which we see frequently in our country, has targeted Birgün newspaper reporter Sarya Toprak. Our colleague Sarya Toprak was targeted by Yeni Akit newspaper following her reporting on the Gülistan Doku case. The targeting reached a dimension that included our colleague's place of birth and her family's professional roles. Our colleague's father, who is a civil servant, has been suspended from duty.

We condemn Yeni Akit newspaper and its writer Zekeriya Say for the news reports and social media posts targeting our colleague Sarya Toprak. We hereby inform the public that we stand in solidarity with Sarya Toprak. According to the Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities of Journalists in Turkey, a journalist must avoid consciously and openly causing professional harm to another journalist. Journalists should not use expressions that target, label, or prepare the ground for hate speech against their colleagues. Journalists should not harm one another due to competition. We call on all our colleagues to practice journalism in accordance with the Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities of Journalists in Turkey. #Journalismisnotacrime.”