CNN Türk on Wednesday cut short an interview of opposition candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu to broadcast a speech by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Evrensel newspaper reported.
İmamoğlu, who was nominated by the Republican People’s Party (CHP) for mayor of İstanbul in local elections on March 31, addressed the incident at a rally in İstanbul.
“The lady isn’t to blame for anything,” İmamoğlu said, with reference to the anchor. “They speak so frequently that TV stations cannot even broadcast a program. I pity the media.”
İmamoğlu said he and his wife had agreed to keep the TV off in their house.
CNN Türk’s move drew a lot of reactions on social media, where many users accused the network of becoming a total mouthpiece for Erdoğan’s government.
“If Tayyip Erdoğan talked in his sleep, they would drop everything to live broadcast it. What kind of fear is this?” said one of the tweets.