• At least 90 journalists remain in jail in Turkey
• A new parole law excluded jailed journalists and politicians from release, risking lives of    hundreds amid COVID-19
• All judicial proceedings suspended in April due to pandemic
• New efforts to stifle print and online media coverage of COVID-19

The International Press Institute (IPI) hosted a webinar on May 3, World Press Freedom Day, to highlight the importance of independent media in beating the pandemic. Journalists in Turkey have faced immense challenges in recent years due to government efforts to suppress the flow of information and silence criticism. While the Turkish authorities are now continuing their efforts to control information amid the COVID-19 pandemic, journalists and news outlets independent from government control are striving to carry out quality reporting despite these restrictions. Prominent journalists from Turkey spoke about the challenges of reporting the truth to the public under the global health crisis.

Speakers:
Nevşin Mengü, Anchorwoman for Sözcü TV, writer for Diken, Duvar English
Ruşen Çakır, Editor-in-Chief, Medyascope
Kadri Gürsel, Head of IPI Turkey National Committee and IPI Executive Board Member
Barbara Trionfi, IPI Executive Director

If you missed the webinar or if you just want to rewatch, the recording is now available on IPI’s YouTube channel. The webinar was held and recorded in Turkish.

Funded by the European Union