Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, placing Turkey at 158th out of 180 countries. This ranking marks a slight improvement from the previous year’s 165th position, but RSF cautions that this should not be interpreted as a positive trend in media freedom within the country.
The organization highlighted that Turkey’s rise in the index is attributed to the decline of other countries, particularly in ‘political’ and ‘security’ indicators. Nations such as India, Azerbaijan, Russia, Belarus, and Bangladesh have experienced significant setbacks, which inadvertently improved Turkey’s standing.
Despite the upward movement, RSF maintains that Turkey remains in the ‘very serious’ category of the index. The report points out that the country’s media landscape is marred by political bias in public broadcasting, the arrest of numerous journalists, and a lack of accountability for these actions. The aftermath of the February 6th earthquakes further exposed the legal challenges faced by journalists, with investigations and prosecutions for alleged ‘disinformation.’
The RSF Index is derived from a questionnaire answered by experts, reflecting five indicators: ‘Political,’ ‘Security,’ ‘Economic,’ ‘Socio-cultural,’ and ‘Legal.’ The ‘Political’ indicator, which assesses the independence of media from political pressures, has shown a significant decline for Turkey, particularly within the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region. Turkey’s overall score dropped from 33.97 out of 100 in 2023 to 31.6 in 2024, indicating a loss of 2.37 points.
The report also expresses concern over the re-election of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s party, citing ongoing journalist detentions, systematic online censorship, and judicial control as methods used to weaken the media. Turkey’s trajectory in the index has been a downward one, from 99th in 2002 to its current position, reflecting the increasing challenges faced by the press in the country. (HA/VK)
