After the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) imposed an 8 million lira administrative fine on ATV, outlets belonging to pro-government Turkuvaz Media published articles targeting the watchdog.
The Council once again fined the program presented by anchor Esra Erol for an episode about a DNA test to determine a child's paternity — designating it as content that could harm the physical, mental or moral development of children and young people.
The program by Erol has long been controversial, as it exposes delicate family issues, while opposition media slams the Council for favoring ATV.
Following the ruling, Turkuvaz Media's A Haber, Sabah and Takvim outlets published reports targeting the media coverage on social media.
Takvim, under the headline 'Inequality for national media!', wrote that 'while Turkuvaz Media faces fines in the millions, the dangers on digital media go unregulated.' The article claimed that 'no preventive system has been established in seven years,' and said experts had criticized the resulting inequality.
Sabah's coverage, under the headline 'RTÜK, silent on digital disgrace, fines Turkuvaz Media! Why has no regulatory model been established for social media?' emphasized that television channels are subject to taxes, licensing fees, RTÜK levies and advertising restrictions, while digital platforms such as YouTube apply their own advertising policies.
A Haber, under the headline 'Zero oversight for digital disgraces,' posed the question to RTÜK: 'Turkuvaz Media gets fined — why has no regulatory model been established for social media?'
