– It’s not fair, of course. People do not see what the opposition wants. Since they did not see Kiliçdaroglu, they did not stand behind him, says Azmi Karabulut whom news meets in Istanbul. On Sunday, there are elections again in Turkey, since none of the candidates got more than 50 percent in the first round. Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received 49.4 percent of the vote, while Kemal Kiliçdaroglu received 44.96 percent. Azmi Karabulut believes the election has not been fair. Photo: Åse marit befring / news But several people believe that the election campaign is not fair. Because the media coverage of President Erdogan has been sky high compared to Kiliçdaroglu. – Portrayed as a negative figure On the state-owned channel TRT, Erdogan received 32 hours of media time against Kiliçdaroglu’s 32 minutes in the course of one month. And on the TV channel A Haber TV at the weekend, they showed a picture of Erdogan in a program about ballot papers – while Kiliçdaroglu’s picture and name were censored. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) wrote in its report from the election that Erdogan has benefited greatly from the biased news coverage. President Erdogan has both his name and picture visible, while where Kiliçdaroglu should have been written, it says “Diger aday”, which means another candidate. Photo: screenshot – In our opinion, freedom of expression and the media is limited by a number of laws, said Jan Petersen, head of the OSCE, during a press conference on 15 May this year. Among other things, he was referring to the new law from October 2022, when it became a crime to spread false information in Turkey, in direct violation of international standards. – The fact that websites are often blocked and online content removed, and the ongoing arrests and prosecutions of journalists, further weakens freedom of expression. Petersen also said that the public broadcaster clearly favored governing parties and their candidates during the campaign. – I think it has created an enormous advantage for Erdogan that he controls much of the national media in Turkey, says Berk Esen, who is an associate professor at Sabanci University in Istanbul. Esen believes that the sitting president can stifle the news so that he and his alliance can get positive media coverage. – While the opposition and especially Kemal Kiliçdaroglu was portrayed as a negative figure who was going to destroy Turkey if he won and pose a danger because of his ties to the PKK. The Turkish embassy has been given the opportunity to comment on the allegations. In an e-mail to news, a representative replies that there are many public and private TV channels and media organizations in Turkey. – Both parties often participate in their programmes. Can’t watch channels that don’t support the ruling party In a cafe on the street in Istanbul, friends Nehir and Melika sit and light a smoke. Nehir is too young to vote, while Melika voted for Kiliçdaroglu. She has given up hope that he will win, but says she believes young people’s lives would have been better with him. Melika and her friend Nehir are sitting in a cafe in Istanbul when news meets them. They prefer not to show their faces. Photo: åse marit befring / news Melika says that her father gets annoyed when she watches one of the few channels that does not support Erdogan, namely FOX News Turkey. – When I turn on FOX News, he shouts “turn off Fox” because he supports the AKP. That’s how it is in this country. You are not allowed in your family to watch a channel that does not support the ruling party. He believes that Fox also supports the opposition, but in fact they do not. Fox is neutral, but says things he doesn’t like to hear. Kemal Kiliçdaroglu received 44.96 percent of the votes during the election on 14 May. Here on an election poster. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news Professor of Turkish Studies Einar Wigen believes that the media have a strong side. – The problem is that when you turn on the TV and scroll through, you automatically get access to a lot of channels that put the president in a good light and sometimes spread gross lies about the opposition candidate. But you have to actively go out yourself and find out what the opposition actually stands for. – Is it a fair choice? – What goes before the election is not fair. It has a strong hitting side. So if it is a free choice? No, it is not. There is no doubt that the media landscape has favored Erdogan. But even if the election campaign has not been free and fair, the election itself is real, says Wigen. – Serious skewed coverage In one of the many narrow alleys in the district of Besiktas in Istanbul, news meets Kursat Yazici and Naz. Both voted for Kiliçdaroglu in the first round, and will do so again. They still believe in a victory. Kursat Yazici and Naz both voted for Kiliçdaroglu. They have faith before the re-election on Sunday. Photo: åse marit befring / news – Realistically, it is a possibility. Because there was both cheating and mess in the first round. Many also abstained from voting, so they can actually decide who wins. – In terms of media coverage, how fair was the election? – There has already been manipulation in the media for years. All refer to different data. It is clear that this affects people, says Yazici. His wife Naz also agrees with that. – I think it is a serious bias. It is discrimination, she says. – How do you get access to the news? – There are no objective media in Turkey anyway. You can choose a channel based on what you want to hear. Social media is also very unreliable, so we have no sources to get news from. We learn from our peers, says Naz. On Sunday there are again presidential elections in Turkey.
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