DEVA Party takes RTÜK's decisions to Parliament

DEVA Party Deputy Chairman Cem Avşar has brought the recent decisions made by RTÜK to the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). Avşar has prepared a parliamentary question for Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy to answer. 

In the motion, Avşar stated that freedom of the press is constitutionally guaranteed, that everyone has the right to express and disseminate their thoughts and opinions through speech, writing, images, or other means, and that even in cases of war or terrorist attacks, it is clear that broadcasting services cannot be suspended. He argued that RTÜK, however, has disregarded the principles of "legality," "democracy," and proportionality by imposing heavy fines and sanctions on certain media outlets and programmers.

Avşar asked Minister Ersoy a series of questions regarding the damage caused to institutional reputation and press freedom by asymmetric penalties and sanctions, as well as the failure of many media outlets—primarily TRT and AA, which are financed by national resources—to address the economic, social, and societal problems experienced by the vast majority of the public, while acting as if they were spokespersons for a specific political segment.

'RTÜK HAS LOST ITS INSTITUTIONAL REPUTATION'

Avşar also stated that on March 27, 2025, RTÜK imposed maximum monetary fines, 5 program suspensions, and a 10-day broadcast suspension on various television channels for various political reasons. Criticizing the broadcasting policies of TRT and AA, Avşar said, "The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), once the sole national broadcaster, and the Anadolu Agency (AA), which has the most deep-rooted history of broadcasting, are experiencing a loss of trust due to the perception that the principles of impartial broadcasting are being neglected in the public eye," and asked Minister Ersoy a series of questions:

"What are the rates at which TRT and AA, which are Turkey's most deep-rooted national media outlets and are financed by national resources, provide coverage to parties representing society—regardless of whether they are ruling or opposition parties? What is the party-based distribution of these rates?

As a requirement of responsible and principled broadcasting, do you intend to impose any sanctions on certain media outlets for failing to cover the economic, social, and societal problems that a large segment of society is facing?

Will you evaluate the fact that some media outlets continuously broadcast and act in line with these policies as if they were representatives of a political party, within the scope of Article 8 of the relevant regulation?

How are the penalties and sanctions applied to some media outlets and programmers evaluated in terms of compliance with principles such as 'legality,' 'democracy,' and 'proportionality'? Do you think these practices could damage RTÜK's impartiality, reliability, and institutional reputation?"

News Source: 12punto