IPS Communication Foundation/bianet organized a conference on Nov 22 at Bilgi University’s santralistanbul campus as part of the project “Journalism for Rights, Freedom for Journalists,” supported by the German Consulate General in İstanbul.
The conference, titled "Journalists Exist With Their Rights," focused on the current state of journalism in Turkey, the multifaceted threats journalists face, and strategies to counter these challenges.
The program began with opening remarks by Nadire Mater, the chair of the IPS Communication Foundation, and Prof. Dr. Aslı Tunç from Bilgi University’s Faculty of Communication. Journalist Nevin Sungur gave a presentation providing a perspective on journalism ethics.
Following the presentation, bianet's freedom of expression editor Hikmet Adal and lawyer Deniz Yazgan shared their experiences conducting workshops for journalists affected by the earthquakes in Hatay and Malatya.
Journalists Burcu Karakaş and Diren Yurtsever, along with academic Suncem Koçer, participated in a discussion titled "Freedom of expression and journalism in Turkey," moderated by Hilmi Hacaloğlu.
Under the session "Women and LGBTI+s view journalism," Oğulcan Yediveren from SpoD, photo artist Üzüm Derin Solak, and Selime Büyükgöze from the Mor Çatı Women's Shelter Foundation shared their insights. This session was moderated by Didem Gençtürk from Açık Radyo.
Finally, Yetvart Danzikyan delivered the closing speech of the conference.
Mater: Turkey is a country of violations but also of resistance
In her opening remarks, Nadire Mater noted that there are currently at least 20 regulations in Turkish law concerning freedom of expression and the press. However, she pointed out that there are even more provisions detailing when and how these rights cannot be exercised.
“Journalism is under siege. What besieges us are the non-free chapters that follow every granted freedom, created by ruling powers. If the Constitution includes two lines about freedom, there are twelve lines explaining how it cannot be exercised,” she said.
Mater noted that there are 100,000 journalists in Turkey, but only 12,000 hold press cards, and just 12% of journalists are unionized.
“Turkey is a country where violations occur, but it is also a country of resistance. We strive to fight these violations in the streets, courthouse corridors, meeting rooms, and newsrooms,” she concluded, explaining the purpose of the conference.
Tunç: Universities struggle to fight alone
Aslı Tunç expressed her pleasure at hosting a conference on press freedom.
“We need institutions and organizations to rely on in the context of rights. At this point, our partnership with bianet has been a long-standing one. bianet is an institution that has conducted extensive research on rights-based journalism for years. Beyond rights-based journalism, we prioritize freedoms. In our courses, we include information about both LGBTI+ rights and freedom of expression. This is actually our field of struggle. Today, universities find it difficult to fight alone, but we strive to move forward with institutions like bianet. That’s why it’s meaningful to be here with great journalists today,” Tunç said before handing the floor to Nevin Sungur.
Sungur: Journalism has structural problems in Turkey
Nevin Sungur delivered a talk on journalism ethics, addressing violations of press and freedom of expression.
She posed the question, “Is ethical journalism possible in Turkey?” and stated that the government steers the media to align with its own perspectives and the form it desires.
Sungur cited an example involving journalist Hilal Köylü, who asked Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, “Do you have disagreements with President Erdoğan?” She noted, “This is essentially the position the government expects from us—to act as they wish. When they say ‘stay silent,’ they expect silence. They want the media to act as their spokesperson. Criticism is forbidden. For certain newspapers, this has become the norm.”
She continued, “In this country, politicians see it as their right to interfere with the press—it’s practically ingrained in their DNA. Changing this mindset is not an easy task. Journalism in Turkey faces structural issues.”
Sungur concluded by emphasizing the importance of internalizing journalism ethics and listening to diverse voices.
Yazgan: Journalism is a profession of freedom
Next, Deniz Yazgan spoke about her experiences in the workshops held in Hatay and Malatya, describing journalism as a profession rooted in freedom.
During the period when the earthquake's impacts were being reported, journalists were unable to fully exercise their right to use press and mass communication tools. Yazgan said, “The Constitution begins with the phrase ‘The press is free,’ but the following seven paragraphs continue with ‘however.’ While alternative means of communication exist outside these ‘howevers,’ we’ve observed how failing to utilize them creates significant problems.”
Adal: Violations in the earthquake zone don’t make the news
Hikmet Adal emphasized that violations of freedom of expression in Turkey are not legal issues but political ones.
Referring to the challenges journalists face, Adal said, “Journalists in Turkey today still live under conditions that date back a century. They can be killed, imprisoned, detained, prosecuted, or even left jobless.”
Adal shared several statistics: as of now, 13 journalists are imprisoned in Turkey. In 2023, 314 journalists were prosecuted in 233 trials, 69 journalists were detained, and an average of 118 news articles were censored daily.
“This is the norm for journalists living in Turkey. However, journalists in the earthquake zone who are trying to report face even greater challenges, and these violations rarely make the news,” he stated.
Adal listed the issues journalists highlighted:
- The end of the state of emergency not easing their challenges.
- Difficulties accessing data while reporting.
- Questions directed at official institutions and authorities going unanswered.
- Institutions showing favoritism toward certain journalists.
- Obstructions by police, and at times, violence.
- Continuing to produce newspapers in container shelters.
- Being denied permission to cover certain stories.
Hacaloğlu: A sword of democracy hangs over society
The session titled “Freedom of expression and journalism in Turkey” began with Hilmi Hacaloğlu highlighting the global decline in freedom of expression, not just in Turkey.
Using Furkan Karabay’s arrest as an example, Hacaloğlu stated, “This is not an isolated case. Following that, Nasuh Mahruki was detained over a social media post. What he wrote concerned monitoring electronic voting in elections. Merdan Yanardağ was held in detention for 100 days for a statement he made regarding the Kurdish issue. Similarly, Sedef Kabaş was jailed for allegedly insulting the president. This has become an institutionalized policy of the government. A sword of democracy hangs over the entire society.”
He also noted the lack of solidarity among journalists. “There’s a sense of burnout among journalists, which makes it harder for voices to be heard,” he said.
Karakaş: The perception of news has changed
Burcu Karakaş spoke about journalism and social media, addressing how freedom of expression violations are increasing worldwide, as Turkey grapples with its unique challenges.
“Before, we were being killed; now we’re being imprisoned,” she remarked.
Reflecting on her own experience, Karakaş said, “Fifteen years into this profession, I’m no longer sure why I do this job. I’ve lost the excitement and enthusiasm I had at the start. We used to see the impact of our reporting on public opinion. Now, social media has rendered everything invisible. The way people consume news and their perception of what news is have changed. People don’t read the news anymore. I also no longer read as many articles, interviews, or reports as I did 15 years ago. When we started out, we’d go to the newsroom in the morning and lay out all the newspapers in front of us. Now, we don’t even discuss them.”
Yurtsever: Wars are now fought through the media
Diren Yurtsever emphasized that discussions on freedom of expression should focus not just on the consequences but also on the causes.
Pointing out the influence of the media, Yurtsever gave the example of the 6-7 September pogrom, which was instigated by a newspaper headline.
“In Turkey, every massacre has been orchestrated based on newspaper headlines. Back then, as now, whoever controls the media dictates its role. Wars are now fought through the media. Before launching an attack on society, governments seek legitimacy. The AKP is also exceptionally skilled at using the media for this purpose. It uses the media as a tool to govern society,” she said.
Addressing whether it is possible to secure freedom of expression, Yurtsever said, “I believe this is a fundamental problem before us. What is the goal of achieving this? Should journalism and the media adhere to moral and political principles? Within the current system, it seems incredibly difficult. But it’s possible.”
Koçer: Four out of ten people say they don’t follow the news
Suncem Koçer followed with a presentation titled “News, trust, resilience: A user-centered approach to journalism.”
She shared data showing that 45% of people in Turkey get their news from social media, while globally, 39% actively avoid news. “Four out of ten people say they don’t follow the news. In 2017, this figure was 29%,” she explained.
Koçer posed a thought-provoking question: “If we were to wake up tomorrow in a very democratic Turkey with unlimited press freedom, would the problem of disconnection between news users and journalists be resolved?”
Gençtürk: Journalists also exist through their rights-based approaches
The second session, titled “Women and LGBTI+s view journalism,” began with opening remarks by Didem Gençtürk. She stated, “Today we say journalists exist with their rights, but let me start with my conclusion: journalists also exist through their rights-based approaches. When it comes to LGBTI+ and women’s rights, journalists have a great deal of responsibility.”
Oğulcan Yediveren then took the floor, saying, “The LGBTI+ community is viewed as dangerous because they stand for sexual liberation or demands like complete autonomy over our bodies, which threaten the entrenched power structures of society. We must avoid reporting that criminalizes LGBTI+s, but at the same time, we must not assimilate their subcultures, identities, or the political meanings they bring to society.”
Üzüm Derin Solak remarked, “Throughout history, LGBTI+s have not been adequately represented in Turkish media. As a result, LGBTI+s have an incomplete history and memory. In patriarchal societies like Turkey, where taboos of patriarchy prevail, being ‘the other’ is extremely difficult.” Solak also criticized the male-dominated structure of the media.
Selime Büyükgöze noted, “The likelihood of encountering a journalist who thinks deeply about an issue and then asks questions has become very low. Considering the fundamental responsibility of journalism to reflect the realities and diversity of women, how can journalists establish a meaningful context without asking questions or engaging with the subject? And from that context, how can they create a space for equal and fair representation? The media is stuck in a general framework of representation.”
Danzikyan: Journalists exist with their representation and responsibilities
The conference concluded with a speech by Yetvart Danzikyan. He began by commemorating Nazar Büyüm and Bekçiyan Sırpazan, who passed away this week.
Danzikyan touched on a wide range of topics, including the revocation of Açık Radyo’s license, the founding of *Agos*, the state of minority newspapers, and journalism during the Armenia-Azerbaijan war.
He concluded, “We say journalists exist with their rights, but in truth, journalists exist with their representation and responsibilities.” (HA/VK)
