Media watchdog says it monitoring street interviews

ANKARA

The Turkish television and radio watchdog has stated it is closely monitoring street interviews due to their intent to impose specific ideologies on the masses and incite sociological discord.

In a declaration shared via social media on Aug. 8, Ebubekir Şahin, the head of the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), highlighted that the public interviews, presented under various guises such as "vox populi" or "public opinion," have reached a level where their manipulative nature constitutes a blatant violation of universal journalistic principles and ethical standards.

He stated that interviews published under the name of "the voice of the street" with the aim of making economic or political manipulations only include statements in line with the ideology of the publisher, bypassing the general public or those who express different opinions.

He asserted that interviews that selectively present opinions, portraying them as the voice of the majority or the consensus of society, are far from objective and serve as a vehicle for deliberate disinformation.

"These misleading interview techniques are employed with the calculated intent of exerting influence over the masses. Particularly, such broadcasting practices and content shared on emerging media platforms fall within the scrutiny of RTÜK, a constitutional body overseeing visual broadcasting,” Şahin expressed.

“RTÜK remains vigilant and is actively engaging in necessary measures within the framework of visual broadcasting principles to address these broadcasting activities, which are predisposed to inciting sociological conflict among the populace,” he said.