Union report sheds light on journalists' economic struggles in Turkey

On World Press Freedom Day, the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS) released its 2023-2024 Press Freedom Report, shedding light on the precarious conditions faced by journalists in Turkey. The report’s focus this year is on “journalist poverty,” highlighting the struggle with low wages, long working hours, and forced disorganization.

Key findings from the report:

• At least 14 journalists were imprisoned over the past year, with 16 currently behind bars for their journalistic activities.
• 69 journalists were detained, spending a total of 153 hours in custody, and 52 gave statements due to investigations.
• 66 journalists were victims of physical assault, and 26 received verbal threats.
• The courts saw 183 criminal cases and 21 compensation cases, totaling over 2.69 million liras in claims.
• Sentences from criminal trials amounted to 47 years, 1 month, and 24 days in prison, along with 31,160 liras in judicial fines, although 60 journalists were acquitted.
• Of the compensation cases, 2 were partially accepted, awarding 45,000 liras in damages, while 7 cases totaling 720,000 TL were rejected.
• Access was blocked to 5 websites and 395 news contents, with 191 contents removed and 14 stripped of names or photos. Additionally, 3 cases were decided under the right to be forgotten.
• The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) imposed 38 administrative fines on media organizations for journalistic activities, totaling 40,744,956 liras, and issued 16 broadcast suspensions. TELE1’s broadcast was blacked out for 7 days.

Economic challenges

1. Wages, especially in non-union workplaces, remain below the poverty line. While the proportion of those with net earnings above the poverty line in workplaces with collective bargaining agreements is 25.4%, this figure is only 4.2% in non-union workplaces.

2. Participants mostly lack additional income besides their wages.

3. Approximately half of the members, especially in non-union workplaces, receive financial support from their families to make ends meet.

4. More than half of the members, particularly in non-union workplaces, struggle to meet all their needs with their monthly income.

5. In both groups, more than a quarter of participants need a minimum of 30,000 TL per month to meet their basic needs.

6. Three-quarters of participants do not engage in additional work to make ends meet, but they are willing to do so if given the opportunity.

7. The majority of their income is spent on housing/rent, transportation, and food.

8. A significant portion of participants feel impoverished, while the majority perceive themselves as being in the low-income bracket.

9. The monthly budget allocated by participants for social and cultural development has significantly decreased compared to last year.

10. The country's economic situation not only affects the contracts in unionized workplaces but also suppresses the economic and social rights in non-union workplaces.

11. The vast majority of participants express a decrease in purchasing power compared to last year. Almost all participants in both groups reported that their income has decreased due to inflation compared to last year.

12. Purchasing a new or used home or car is not possible in the near future for those surveyed.

13. Half of the participants live in rented accommodation. The majority state that they are not the sole breadwinners in their households.

14. In both unionized and non-union workplace surveys, more than half of journalists are ready to quit journalism for better pay if given the opportunity.

'Disinformation' cases

From October 2022 to April 2024, 40 journalists faced 46 investigations:

• 10 were detained.
• 4 were arrested.
• 14 trials were initiated, with 5 acquittals and one resulting in a 10-month prison sentence. 8 trials are ongoing.
• 14 investigations were dropped, and 18 are still active.

Economic and social rights

• The unemployment rate among journalism graduates was 12.7% in 2022, higher than the national average of 9.4% and college graduates’ average of 9.8%.
• In 2023, journalism graduates continued to face high unemployment rates, trailing only social services and manufacturing and operations graduates.
• The TGS combats the sector’s pessimism caused by poverty, unemployment, and insecurity through successful unionization campaigns, increasing the number of unionized enterprises to 19.
• Employers’ anti-union stance persisted, challenging the TGS’s efforts. (EMK/VK)