Trust in news in Turkey has plunged to its lowest level since 2015, while a pro-government outlet has become the least trusted media organization in the country, according to the 2025 Digital News Report from the University of Oxford’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
The report, which is based on surveys conducted across 48 countries, shows the proportion of respondents in Turkey who trust “most news most of the time” dropped to 33 percent, the lowest level since 2015.
This rate is significantly below the global average of 40 percent and signals a deepening crisis of confidence in the media.
Ongoing political polarization, widespread concerns over editorial independence and the increasing perception that media outlets are subject to government influence are among the key factors contributing to this decline.
While overall trust in Turkish media is falling, the survey results indicate that critical and opposition-aligned media outlets are gaining credibility in the eyes of the public.
Among those surveyed, Now TV Haber received the highest trust score with 61 percent, followed by Sözcü TV with 54 percent and Halk TV with 53 percent.
On the other hand A Haber, a pro-government broadcaster, ranked as the least trusted with 37 percent, and public broadcaster TRT also scored below the 50 percent threshold, registering 46 percent.
Trust in government-aligned media has fallen from 58 percent to 49 percent in recent years, while trust in opposition media has increased from 32 percent to 40 percent.
This trend reflects a growing demand for independent reporting and political pluralism, particularly among younger and urban populations. The report also notes that opposition outlets have been more successful in adapting to digital platforms and reaching audiences through social media and video content.
The report reveals a global decline in traditional media usage, including television and print, while online platforms continue to gain ground. In Turkey weekly readership of print newspapers has fallen to nearly one-third of its level in 2015.
Social media networks such as YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp and TikTok are now among the most-used sources for news, especially among those under 35 years of age. The growing preference for video-based content is part of a broader international trend, as the share of people who consume news in video format has risen from 52 percent in 2020 to 65 percent in 2025.
Artificial intelligence-based tools are also beginning to play a role in how people access news. Although the global average of weekly users is still low at 7 percent, usage is notably higher among younger audiences, with 15 percent of those under the age of 25 saying they consume news via AI chatbots. Despite these developments, many respondents remain cautious about the use of AI in journalism, citing concerns over accuracy and accountability.
The Reuters report links the declining trust in Turkish media directly to the state of press freedom. It documents that in 2024, at least 10 journalists were arrested, 57 were detained and more than 30 were convicted under charges such as insulting public officials, spreading misleading information or promoting terrorist propaganda. These legal pressures have led to widespread criticism from both domestic and international observers.
In July 2024 a coalition of 19 international human rights and press freedom organizations issued a joint statement calling on the European Union to take stronger action in defense of media freedom in Turkey.
The report also cites figures from the European Court of Human Rights, where Turkey leads with more than 21,000 pending cases, many related to violations of freedom of expression.
According to Freedom House, Turkey remains among the top 10 countries experiencing the sharpest decline in civil liberties over the past decade. Similarly, Reporters Without Borders ranks Turkey 159th out of 180 countries in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
In such a setting, trust in news is not only shaped by journalistic quality but also by political orientation. The report makes clear that the public’s trust is fragmenting along ideological lines, a pattern seen in several other countries but particularly acutely in Turkey.