Turkish news site T24 fights LGBTQ+ coverage ban
Turkish news website T24 is challenging a block imposed over LGBTQ+ coverage, with journalists’ organisations backing its right to report freely.
Independent Turkish news website T24 is challenging a block imposed over its LGBTQ+ coverage, with journalists’ organisations backing its right to report freely. The general news outlet covers politics, current affairs and culture, so the restriction affects far more than its LGBTQ+ articles.
Access to its website in Turkey was blocked on 30 September, following a court order that also targeted its social media accounts. Authorities cited 118 pieces of content they characterised as LGBT propaganda, alleging that the material undermined the family and could negatively affect young people.
The concern is that reporting about LGBTQ+ people is being treated as grounds for restricting an entire publication. That can make it harder for readers to find information about LGBTQ+ lives and rights, while putting pressure on other journalists deciding whether to cover those subjects.
T24 lodged an appeal on 1 October, disputing both the evidence and the scale of the restriction. Its lawyers say only 21 of the 118 items were published within the previous year, contradicting the authorities’ claim that all the material came from that period.
The appeal argues that blocking the whole website is disproportionate and violates freedom of expression and press freedom. Readers lose access to its wider journalism, even when the reporting has nothing to do with the content cited in the order.
The Turkish Journalists’ Association and the Global Journalists Council have criticised the decision and supported T24. The appeal has not yet produced a confirmed victory, but the legal challenge and public backing show that journalists are pushing back against restrictions on LGBTQ+ coverage.
