Turkey’s main opposition party on Thursday announced its decision to boycott CNN’s Turkish affiliate for its pro-government broadcasting and called on the public to avoid the TV channel, according to the T24 news website.
“Disregarding the public’s right to obtain information, CNN Türk has been broadcasting in favor of the interests of the government instead of the nation,” Tuncay Özkan, deputy chairman of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), said at a press conference.
The decision was taken by party management at a meeting on Feb. 3, Özkan added.
“No one from the CHP, from executives to members, will be hosted by CNN Türk,” he said, “We advise our citizens to stop watching that station and to keep their children from watching it as well in order to protect them from the risks it poses.”
In March 2019 the party’s US representative sent a letter to CNN International asking it to launch an inquiry into its Turkish franchise due to its violation of the basic principles of journalism.
The Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) sent a similar letter back in November 2016. CNN Türk was acquired in March 2018 by the pro-government Demirören Group as part of the purchase of the Doğan Media Group, the largest media company in Turkey.
Even prior to the sale, the station was criticized for acting as a mouthpiece for the government.