Another day of fines to TV channels in Turkey

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The Radio and Television Supreme Council fined the TV channels criticizing government policies again in its meeting this week. Once again, TELE1, FOX TV, Halk TV, and Flash Haber were the channels where fines were imposed.

Administrative fines were imposed on the grounds that the TV channels violated broadcasting principles.

The reason for fining FOX TV was what the anchorperson of the prime time news, Gülbin Tosun said. She had said, "The People's Alliance has become extreme right with the last groups that joined. The People's Alliance mentality does not want you to study, or to work The President himself stated that the duty of the woman is to give birth to children in what he told Mehmet Ali Çelebi's wife. They say do not study, therefore do not work, make children, if you are able to divorce do not get any alimony, be so desperate that do not even stand against violence... Is this what you deem proper for women in the second century of the Republic of Turkey?"

The supreme council imposed an administrative fine, stating that the anchorperson "left aside her identity as a journalist and acted like a representative of an opposition party," and thus violated the broadcasting principles.

"Unsubstantial claims despite official announcements"

RTÜK imposed a 3 percent administrative fine on Halk TV for the program presented by Ayşenur Arslan, where she and her guest, lawyer Turgut Kazan evaluated the reports about the "crane trade in the life and death situation" after the February 6 earthquakes and criticized that the death toll was reflected differently.

The council justified the fine by saying that Halk TV was "preventing forming of opinions freely," and evaluated the expressions used in the program as "unsubstantial claims made despite official announcements."

RTÜK regarded the critics made by Merdan Yanardağ and Prof. Emre Kongar in their "18 Dakika" program on TELE1 about the Urfa Municipality sending aid sent to the region after the earthquake to Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The decision stated that the presenters insulted the municipality in the program.

The Supreme Council also fined Flash Haber, for a guest in a program saying, "The government left the people in the earthquake region alone and did not rescue the people but has started to remove the wreckages."

RTÜK has fined Halk TV, FOX TV, and TELE1 again in its meeting last week. (HA/PE)