Turkey’s Press Freedom Decline in One Snapshot

In 2002 which is the first year of the RSF global press freedom index, and the same year Erdoğan was first elected, Turkey ranked 99th in the world.

By the mid-2000s, the slide was visible. By 2010, Turkey had slipped significantly.

After the 2016 coup attempt, the decline accelerated dramatically. Media shutdowns, arrests and systemic pressure pushed Turkey to 151st place in 2016, and the rankings have continued to fall since.

Bottom line:

Turkey’s press freedom didn’t collapse overnight. The erosion began gradually after 2002 and then turned into a steep decline from 2010 to 2016.