Turkish journalists fired over coverage of Gezi Park protests

At least 22 journalists have been fired and 37 forced to quit over their coverage of the Gezi Park protests, the Turkish Journalists Union (TGS) has claimed.

The Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman quoted Gökhan Durmu of the TGS saying that the job losses came as a result of media coverage of the protests. They started in late May with a small group of environmentalists staging a protest against a commercial development in Istanbul, and grew into nationwide demonstrations in which thousands expressed anti-government sentiments. The protests in Istanbul were met with tear gas and water cannons.

“These dismissals and resignations are mostly related to censorship policies followed by some media outlets,” the TGS said. “Our colleagues worked hard for the public’s right to be informed, and they paid for it with their jobs”.