The freedom of media and press has gained public and international attention in recent years due to the setbacks taking place in democratic and non-democratic countries. Scholars and politicians argue that the threat to the freedom of media is often attributed to the rise of populist movements and authoritarian governments. The pandemic as well has resulted into major setbacks on the people fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and freedom of press.
As the coronavirus continues to negatively impact public health, social welfare, and the economy, the health crisis also significantly impacts media freedom, where some governments used the emergency situation to impose new media restrictions, curb freedom of expression, and increase press censorship. The Council of Europe warned that media freedom has worsened amid the covid-19 pandemic. In Turkey, President Erdogan uses the current situation as a pretext to remove the remaining few opposition media outlets, accusing the opposition of “waging a war against their own country”.
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