American channel puts Erdogan on the spot

Mahmud Mohamadi

Press freedoms have been shrinking noticeably in Turkey since the presumed coup of 2016. Turkey came in position no. 157 in 180 countries listed in the Press Freedoms Index of 2018 which was prepared by NGO Reporters without Borders. It said Turkey is the world’s largest jailer of journalists.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared tense in a recent interview with Fox TV, especially when the channel’s host asked him about press freedoms in his country and the reported sale of a national tanks factory for a private Turkish-Qatari company.

He also fulminated at the host and accused the channel of propagating lies.

Rights groups are, meanwhile, calling on the Turkish president to stop putting pressure on the media.

Turkey, they said, is passing through the toughest phase in its history as far as freedom of speech is concerned.

Anger

A Fox TV reacted to Erdogan’s treatment of his host by saying that his channel would continue to criticize the Turkish president and ask questions.

The broadcast of the channel makes Turkish authorities angry, the anchor said, because we air correct news.

He said nobody can accuse the channel of broadcasting false news.

Fox TV broadcasts from Istanbul in Turkish. It is the most viewed channel in Turkey.

Suppression

The Turkish Journalists’ Union said in July this year that it would sue a pro-government research center for inciting against foreign journalists in Turkey.

It added that the research center had prepared a black list of journalists which makes it necessary for the union to sue the center.

Reporters without Borders said Turkish authorities had taken the harassment of journalists to a totally new level.