Erdogan criticised for scolding reporter

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has drawn criticism from a press watchdog body for scolding a reporter.

The Gazete Duvar news portal reported on Monday that the Istanbul-based Turkish Press Council criticized Erdogan after he reportedly scolded the correspondent from the country’s FOX TV.

“A reporter asking questions cannot be scolded. Those who exercise public power are in the position of answering questions addressed to them for the sake of people’s right to information,” the council said in a written statement on Monday.

The statement of the watchdog, entitled “We stand by FOX TV,” followed a press conference held by Erdogan on Saturday.

During the press conference Erdogan, who was asked a question by FOX TV’s Emre Iskubarlas, reportedly did not answer it but said instead that FOX TV should “stop lying and be honest.”

“Firstly, stop FOX TV from being a false media [outlet]. Just be honest for once,” Erdogan said in response to Iskubarlas’ question on Saturday.

Highlighting that it’s not the first time Erdogan has targeted FOX TV, the council stated: “Unfortunately, Turkey has been going through one of the most troubling periods of its history in terms of freedom of expression and communication.”

“While 90 percent of the media report pro-government news, few press outlets that try to do free and critical journalism face an [political] embargo on their advertisements and various other kinds of oppression by the political power that aims to silence them.”

The council held forth that in countries where democracy is sustained, the ruling power does not threaten media outlets that strive to do free and critical reporting.

“In democratic countries, the ruling power does not try to design the media. Public power and resources are not used to take hold of the media and press members are not seen as people that should obey the political power,” the watchdog also noted.

The Press Council highlighted that they support FOX TV and all the other press outlets that exercise free and critical journalism.

“We state that we are determined in our struggle to ensure that democracy in Turkey is sustained with all of its rules and institutions and that freedom of expression and press reaches its universal standards,” they promised.

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from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/09/24/erdogan-criticised-for-scolding-reporter/