{"id":115607,"date":"2026-06-24T18:06:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T18:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/115607\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T18:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T18:06:11","slug":"nato-bars-several-turkish-media-outlets-from-covering-ankara-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/115607\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO bars several Turkish media outlets from covering Ankara summit"},"content":{"rendered":"

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NATO has denied accreditation to several Turkish media outlets seeking to cover its 2026 summit in Ankara, saying the decision is final and that it cannot discuss the reasons behind it, Turkish Minute<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

The outlets whose applications were rejected include \u0130lke TV, the Cumhuriyet daily, NOW TV and Medyascope, \u0130lke TV reported on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd34NATO\u2019dan Ankara zirvesi \u00f6ncesi gazetecilere akreditasyon engeli<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcccZirveyi takip etmek isteyen \u0130lke TV, Cumhuriyet, NOW TV ve Medyascope’un ba\u015fvurular\u0131 gerek\u00e7esiz reddedildi <\/p>\n

G\u00f6nderilen resmi e-postada “Bu karar\u0131n gerek\u00e7elerini a\u00e7\u0131klayamam, karar kesindir” denildi\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u0130lke TV (@ilketvcomtr) June 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The NATO Summit is scheduled to take place in Ankara on July 7-8.<\/p>\n

The rejection notices were sent by email by NATO Accreditations, part of the alliance\u2019s Office of Strategic Communications.<\/p>\n

The message, which was shared online, did not provide a reason for the refusal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI regret to say that your request for media accreditation cannot be granted this time. I cannot discuss the reasons for this decision, which is final,\u201d the email said.<\/p>\n

The message told the rejected applicants they could follow the public parts of the meeting on NATO\u2019s website and contact the alliance through the website\u2019s contact form with questions about NATO\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

Turkish journalist Duygu G\u00fcven\u00e7 said on X that she had previously covered NATO summits in \u0130stanbul, Strasbourg\/Kehl, Lisbon, Chicago and Brussels as well as numerous NATO foreign and defense ministers\u2019 meetings and NATO missions, but would not be able to cover the upcoming summit in Ankara, the city where she lives.<\/p>\n

\u0130stanbul, Strasbourg\/Kehl, Lizbon, Chicago ve Br\u00fcksel\u2019deki NATO zirvelerini takip etmi\u015f; ayr\u0131ca say\u0131s\u0131z NATO d\u0131\u015fi\u015fleri ve savunma bakanlar\u0131 toplant\u0131s\u0131n\u0131 izlemi\u015f, NATO kararg\u00e2h\u0131 i\u00e7inde ve d\u0131\u015f\u0131nda onlarca NATO misyonunu yerinde takip etmi\u015f bir gazeteci olarak, ne yaz\u0131k ki bu kez\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/wwJp3eHNav<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Duygu Guvenc (@duyguguvenc) June 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Defense and security journalist Levent Kemal also criticized the decision on X, saying NATO appeared to be \u201cdrawing names from a hat\u201d for accreditation.<\/p>\n

\u201cExperienced Turkish security and defense journalists are being rejected without explanation,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf NATO wants these decisions to be respected, it should at least explain the criteria behind them.\u201d<\/p>\n

NATO has not publicly announced why the accreditation requests were denied.<\/p>\n

The decision drew attention because the rejected outlets include several media organizations known for critical or independent coverage in Turkey, where press freedom groups have long warned of pressure on journalists and media organizations.<\/p>\n

The refusals also come against the backdrop of Turkey\u2019s long-disputed accreditation practices.<\/p>\n

The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan has for years been accused of using press accreditation as a tool to restrict access for journalists and media outlets seen as critical of the government.<\/p>\n

Reporters for opposition and independent outlets have frequently been excluded from official events, presidential programs and government briefings, while press cards have been denied, canceled or left pending for long periods of time.<\/p>\n

Press freedom groups say such practices have contributed to an already difficult media environment in Turkey, where most mainstream outlets are owned by companies close to the government and independent journalists face lawsuits, arrests and pressure over their reporting.<\/p>\n

The government denies that it targets journalists for their work and says accreditation decisions are made in line with security and administrative rules.<\/p>\n

Turkey\u00a0ranked<\/a>\u00a0163rd out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), down from 159th place the previous year, with RSF warning that media pluralism in the country is increasingly under threat.<\/p>\n