Funding investigation penalty from RTÜK to Sözcü TV and Koza TV

Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) evaluated the contents of the funding investigation broadcast on Sözcü TV and Koza TV in its meeting.

The Board based its sanction decisions on the two channels on the grounds that the expressions used in the broadcasts affected the formation of audience opinion and contained criminal charges against political segments.

Sözcü TV was fined due to the way the allegations against Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat and AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik were handled in the programs broadcast on October 7 and 8. RTÜK evaluated that the broadcasts in question prevented the viewers from forming correct and healthy opinions.

Sanctions were imposed on Koza TV due to the statement "We are talking about a profiteering involving all the names of the government" regarding the fund investigation in a program broadcast on October 8. The Board adopted the view that these words constituted a serious criminal charge against all members of a political group.

KESER'S EMPHASIS ON PRESS FREEDOM

RTÜK Member Tuncay Keser announced in his statement on his social media account that he voted against both sanctions decisions. Recalling a decision made by the Constitutional Court in 2020, Keser pointed out that reporting rumors about events that concern the public cannot be a justification for punishment on its own, provided that they are based on a sufficient factual basis.

Referring to the Constitutional Court's decision numbered 2020/23730, Keser stated that journalists cannot be expected to prove the accuracy of an allegation like a prosecutor. Keser emphasized that calling authorities to make a statement regarding public allegations should not be a matter of punishment in a democratic society.

Stating that the fund investigation has an important place on the country's agenda, Keser argued that journalists' asking questions about the investigation and bringing the allegations to the public should be considered within the scope of the public's right to receive information.

Keser explained his reason for voting against the sanctions with the following words: "I voted against the sanctions decisions with the view that punishing journalists for making inquiries regarding the fund fraud investigation, which has an important place on the country's agenda, and bringing the allegations to the agenda would harm the public's right to receive information and freedom of the press."