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TRT World

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TRT World
CountryTurkey
Broadcast areaWorldwide
HeadquartersUlus, Ankara, Turkey
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format16:9
Ownership
OwnerTRT
Sister channels
History
Launched18 May 2015
(test broadcast)
30 June 2015; 9 years ago (2015-06-30)
ReplacedTRT International
Links
Websitewww.trtworld.com Edit this at Wikidata
Availability
Streaming media
trtworld.comWatch live

TRT World is a Turkish public broadcaster which broadcasts in English 24 hours a day and is operated by the TRT and based in the Ulus quarter of Ankara. It provides worldwide news and current affairs focusing on Turkey, Europe, Africa, and Western and Southern Asia.[1] In addition to its headquarters based in Ankara, TRT World has broadcasting centres and studios in Washington, D.C. and London. It is a member of the Association for International Broadcasting.

The network has received criticism for failing to meet accepted journalism ethics and standards for independence and objectivity, with some commentators especially in the West calling it state media[2][3] or a propaganda arm of the Erdoğan administration.[4][5][6] TRT World claims that it is financially and editorially independent from the administration, and that its news gathering is just like those of other publicly funded broadcasters around the world, with a mission to show a non-Turkish audience events from Turkey's viewpoint.[7][8][9] According to Reporters Without Borders, Turkey in 2023 ranked 165th out of 180 countries in press freedom.[10][7]

Programmes

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In addition to those listed below, TRT World runs various once-off documentaries. Current programmes on the channel are:

  • Africa Matters: Africa Matters, hosted by Adesewa Josh, is TRT World's flagship Africa programme that brings stories from the African continent.
  • Across The Balkans: Weekly programme hosted by Nafisa Latic, prepared by Zeynep Gizem Ozdemir, featuring interviews with guests from Balkan Region regarding issues related to the region.
  • Beyond Borders: Monthly documentary show presented by David Foster showcasing real people at the heart of the stories shaping our world.
  • Beyond the game: Daily sports show.
  • Money Talks: Daily finance programme hosted by Auskar Surbakti or Ludovica Brignola with in-depth reports and analysis,
  • Roundtable: Hosted by Enda Brady. Roundtable is a discussion programme where guests debate the news from London.
  • Showcase: Daily arts and culture show.[11]
  • The Newsmakers: Hosted by Andrea Sanke. The channel's flagship current affairs programme, featuring reports and interviews.
  • Newsfeed: Daily show hosted by Natasha Hussain, unpacking what stories are big on social media and why they matter.
  • Compass: Monthly documentary series filmed globally. Compass is an exploration of issues through art, culture and creativity.
  • Inside America with Ghida Fakhry: Weekly in-depth interviews with American opinion and policy-makers exploring the issues shaping US politics, presented by Ghida Fakhry.[12]
  • Bigger Than Five: Current affairs program about global issues and international power politics hosted by Ghida Fakhry.[13] Its name derived from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's saying "The world is bigger than five".
  • Westminster Watch
  • Decoded
  • The InnerView hosted by Imran Garda.
  • Strait Talk: Brings audience the much-needed context to stories that are changing the world. It features in depth analyses of global events that are redefining our age. This show is hosted by Ayse Suberker.

Notable staff

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Awards and nominations

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In 2023 TRT World was awarded an international Emmy for its documentary on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[14]

In 2018 TRT World was nominated in five categories at the Drum Online Media Awards:

  • Social Media Team of the year[15]
  • Technology Leader of the year[15]
  • Breaking News Story of the year[15]
  • App of the year[15]
  • Technical Innovation of the year[15]

Press freedom and neutrality

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In March 2020, the United States Justice Department required TRT World's Washington operation to register as an agent of the Government of Turkey, engaged in political activities, under the anti-propaganda Foreign Agents Registration Act. TRT World's argument that it is independent was rejected by US officials who found and claim that the Turkish government "exercises direction and control of TRT by regulation and oversight, and by controlling its leadership, budget, and content."[8] Apart from some Russian and Chinese networks, other state-funded media including the Qatari-backed Al Jazeera, British-backed BBC News, French-backed France 24 and German-backed Deutsche Welle had not been determined to be foreign-government agents.[16]

In a 2019 op-ed in The Washington Post, MEMRI's executive director Steven Stalinsky described TRT World as "a propaganda arm of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's regime", similar to the Russian RT network. He notes that the channel offered only enthusiastically promotional coverage of the Turkish military's Operation Peace Spring in Syria, while according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the government banned critical news coverage domestically. Stalinsky urges human rights activists, journalists, and others not to appear on and legitimise the network's shows, just as they would not appear on RT.[17]

Following the 2016 Turkish coup attempt, some journalists who had recently joined the company resigned.[18][19] One of those who resigned said: "I no longer hold out any hope that this channel will become what I wanted it to become (...) After the coup, it became very apparent that the channel had no intention of actually covering it properly, in a professional, international broadcast standard."[citation needed] The managing editor at the time said that he "never received a phone call from Ankara trying to frame the broadcast or give them talking points."[20]

More recently as of March 2020 with the Evros border crisis, TRT World and other Turkish media have in a way, accelerated on producing fake news as alleged by the Greek government, as was also mentioned by Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a CNN interview twice,[21] stating that the reports all come from Turkish media and other unknown sources aiming to discredit the Hellenic Coast Guard and Hellenic Armed Forces efforts with propaganda videos. TRT World claimed that Greece sent back refugee vessels to Turkish waters, which was denied by Greece.[22] Conversely, there have been reports by other sources of Greek coastal authorities forcing the refugee vessels back to Turkish side, in a military strategy dubbed "push back".[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Sigismondi, Paolo (25 July 2019). World Entertainment Media: Global, Regional and Local Perspectives. Taylor & Francis. pp. 256–. ISBN 978-1-351-60370-6.
  2. ^ Associated Press (13 January 2023). "Turkey summons Swedish envoy over 'heinous' protest action". Taiwan News. Retrieved 14 July 2024. Turkey has summoned the Swedish ambassador to convey Ankara's displeasure after a mannequin depicting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was hung outside the city hall in Stockholm, state broadcaster TRT reported.
  3. ^ AFP News (3 June 2015). "Erdogan threatens paper over Syrian arms video". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 July 2024. "The slander against the [Turkish] National Intelligence Organization [MIT] and the illegitimate operation [against MIT trucks] is an espionage activity at one point," Erdogan told state-run TRT television late on Sunday.
  4. ^ Sözeri, Efe Kerem (31 May 2017). "These fake 'fact-checkers' are peddling lies about genocide and censorship in Turkey". Poynter Institute. Retrieved 14 July 2024. Turkey's English-language media outlets, such as public broadcaster TRT World TV and the pro-government newspaper Daily Sabah pursue the same objective — improving Turkey's image abroad— said Koray Kaplıca, also an editor at DogrulukPayi. But in the name of "national interest" these outlets can turn into pure propaganda tools for the ruling party.
  5. ^ Asani, Rose (18 November 2016). "President Erdogan's media mouthpiece aims to woo the west". The Spectator. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  6. ^ McPhail, Thomas L.; Phipps, Steven (11 October 2019). Global Communication: Theories, Stakeholders, and Trends. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-119-52224-9.
  7. ^ a b Srivastava, Mehul; Mance, Henry (11 March 2016). "Turkish TV station aims to switch western views". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2018. "There has [for many years] been a need for a broadcast channel delivering the events to the world from a different perspective, which presents Turkey's own viewpoint," says Ibrahim Eren, head of broadcasting for TRT. [...] In 2015 Reporters without Borders(opens a new window) ranked Turkey 149th in the world for press freedom, behind South Sudan and Palestine.
  8. ^ a b Schaffer, Aaron (19 March 2020). "Justice Department ordered Turkish TV station to register as foreign agent". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  9. ^ Roettgers, Janko (22 November 2017). "How Turkey's TRT World Wants to Win Over U.S. Online Video Viewers (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  10. ^ "2020 World Press Freedom Index". Reporters Without Borders. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  11. ^ "In TRT World's 'Showcase,' arts coverage goes global". DailySabah. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  12. ^ "Inside America – TRT World". Inside America – TRT World. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Bigger than Five – TRT World". Bigger than Five – TRT World. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  14. ^ "PROGRAMS ON UKRAINE WAR FROM UK & TURKEY WIN INTERNATIONAL EMMYS® FOR NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS". International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Online Media Awards 2018". The Drum Awards. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  16. ^ Schaffer, Aaron (18 March 2020). "Turkey's public broadcaster registers as foreign agent". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  17. ^ Stalinsky, Steven (12 November 2019). "Opinion – This Turkish TV network is Erdogan's propaganda arm.fsefgg U.S. experts should stop appearing on it". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  18. ^ Ünal, Ali (21 November 2016). "TRT World Ceo İbrahim Eren: We will tell the truth, even if it is inconvenient or disturbing". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  19. ^ Scott, Alev (22 August 2016). "Turkish journalists seek refuge abroad post-coup". Newsweek. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  20. ^ Nissenbaum, Dion (12 August 2016). "After Turkey's Failed Coup, a State-Owned TV Station Tilts". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  21. ^ "Greek PM to Turkey: 'Stop the provocations, let's start talking' | CNN". 20 August 2020 – via CNN.
  22. ^ Reynolds, Emma (28 August 2020). "Europe's migrant crisis is worsening during the pandemic. The reaction has been brutal". CNN.
  23. ^ Deshmukh, Vishwajeet; Malhotra, Lubna (24 November 2020). Mahajan, Khushali (ed.). "Migration, Push-Backs and Europe: A Blind Eye to a Refugee Crisis". Jurist. University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
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