‘My Struggle for Freedom of Press and Expression will Continue’

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An election was held at the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) yesterday (July 11) for the membership to the Supreme Board of the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK).

Accordingly, Nurullah Öztürk from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Ali Ürküt from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) have been elected to the RTÜK Supreme Board.

Nominated by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), media ombudsperson Faruk Bildirici, who resigned from daily Hürriyet in March 2019, has also been elected to the Supreme Board.

Speaking to bianet, Bildirici has underlined that RTÜK has been more of a punitive institution than a regulatory one and stated the following:

'I will make effort for regulating rather than punishing'

"My efforts at the RTÜK will focus on its regulatory function rather than the punitive one. I will make efforts for that end in a first.

"Secondly, international and universal standards in television and radio broadcasting are clear. There are competent works on this issue. I will make an effort to apply these universal standards to Turkey. I will make an effort to take the already existing works in this field to a few steps further.

"I have always defended freedom of press, freedom of expression, freedom of thought in my articles so far. I have been against violence, discrimination, hate speech. I have been especially against sexism. I will maintain my line there as well. I will, naturally, continue my efforts in that direction.

'What matters is to contribute to change'

"I know that I do not have the power to change everything on my own. But, what matters is to contribute to change. If I make a contribution to this transformation and change through the values that I have mentioned, it will be pleasing for me, which is what matters.

"What matters is change. To make a change for the universal standards, regulation, peace, democracy, freedoms and against violence..."

'I might need to take a break as an ombudsperson'

Working actively as a media ombudsperson on his own website, Bildirici has also answered our question regarding whether he will continue with this position after he becomes a member to the RTÜK Supreme Board. Stating "I have not made up my mind yet", Bildirici has continued as follows:

"I do not know from the legal perspective. But, it is not a commercial activity after all. I do not think it will be a big problem, but I feel like it will not be ethically right. I need to make an evaluation.

"I might probably need to take a break in my media ombudsperson position, which I have been holding gladly, thinking that I am making a contribution to the media." (HA/DB/SD)