The Turkish Journalists’ Association (TGC) has drawn attention to the changing media ownership structure following investigations into money laundering, illegal betting, and organized crime, announcing that 150 employees at Flash Haber TV, which is under the management of Turkey’s Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF), have been dismissed.
“The TMSF’s interference seriously threatens the rights of media workers and press freedom,” the statement said.
In its written declaration, the TGC noted that in recent months, the TMSF has seized and appointed trustees to several major media outlets, including Flash Haber TV, Ekotürk TV, Habertürk, Show TV, HT Spor and Bloomberg HT.
The association underlined that the TMSF, initially established to protect depositors, has now “become the country’s largest media conglomerate.”
“This unfair practice once again reveals the dramatic extent of unemployment and precarious working conditions in Turkish journalism,” the statement read.
The TGC emphasized that unemployment rates in the media sector are higher than the national average and that journalists face growing pressure and insecurity.
TGC’s call:
“TMSF must protect journalists’ rights instead of firing them.”
- Protect dismissed media workers:
The layoffs are arbitrary. Job security and union rights of journalists must be urgently guaranteed. - Ensure full implementation of the Press Labor Law:
The law, designed to protect media workers’ rights, is not being properly enforced. Oversight is severely lacking. Dismissals must be halted, and violations identified. - End interference in press freedom:
The TMSF’s interventions directly undermine media independence and neutrality. Press freedom is the cornerstone of democracy, and such interference is unacceptable.
The ongoing job insecurity and dismissals in the media sector also endanger Turkey’s democratic future.
The TMSF should stop dismissing journalists and safeguard their rights instead of trying to build a media system dependent on just a few news agencies without reporters, photographers, or cameramen.