Mapping Digital Media: Turkey

This report covers the process this transition from traditional to digital media in Turkey. Mapping Digital Media is a project of the Open Society Foundation. The project examines the global opportunities and risks created by the transition.

According to the report, while television remains the dominant news medium in Turkey, and newspapers continue to be important, there is a strong appetite for digital media, and its use is expanding (nearly half the population now has access to the internet, both fixed line and mobile). In this context, the authors assert that the most significant threat to news diversity and quality are the repressive legal restrictions under which journalists operate and legal manoeuvres that limit free speech and access to information deemed illegal, such as anything that insults Turkey or the national identity (Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code). Technical issues related to a lack of transparency, public consultation, or convergent regulatory frameworks have obstructed the expansion of digital broadcasting.

This report calls for a host of measures aimed at depoliticising the policy process with respect to digitisation, strengthening legislative protections against digital censorship, and enhancing the transparency and accountability of regulatory institutions.