My late grandmother had limited literacy.
He didn't know the internet or cell phones.
He used to get the daily news from television, which he called “the agency”.
The evening news was his only link with the world.
Today it is said that “everyone has the internet in their pocket”.
But the reality is not that simple.
Türkiye’de okuma yazma bilmeyenlerin oranı yaklaşık %2–3. İnternet kullananların oranı %90’lar seviyesinde; yani yaklaşık %9’luk bir kesim hala internet kullanmıyor. Üstelik cep telefonu ya da internet paketi sahibi olmak da her zaman erişim anlamına gelmiyor. Resmi kayıtlarda erişim var görünse de, birçok kırsal ve dağlık bölgede insanlar fiilen ne internete girebiliyor ne de sağlıklı bir telefon bağlantısı kurabiliyor.
For this reason, television is still the most basic way of accessing information for a large segment of the population.
Especially state television.
When information does not arrive in time, the price is often the loss of health or life.
We see this very clearly on the field.
I treat skin cancers. Cure rates are very high for many skin cancers when caught at an early stage. However, most of the patients who present in advanced stages come from rural areas. Because they often think the wound is a simple skin disease. They do not know when to consult a physician. By the time they arrive at the hospital, the disease has often spread throughout the body and treatment options are severely reduced.
This is precisely why TRT's responsibility is not an ordinary broadcasting responsibility.
TRT is state television; it broadcasts with public funds and has a public duty. Its duty is not only to relay official statements, but also to provide information so that citizens can understand what is going on.
This duty also includes a responsibility to educate on health and basic civic issues. Basic information such as when to consult a doctor, which symptoms are risky, how to behave in times of disaster, and how to seek remedies are essential topics of public broadcasting. These are not secondary, but directly in the public interest.
Public broadcasting requires the pursuit of what is understood, not what is said.
It involves real questions being asked, missing points being filled in, different opinions being heard. Because TRT's audience is made up not only of those who prefer it, but often of those who have no other choice.
There are examples of this in the world. In the UK, the BBC is financed by public funds, but its broadcasting is based on the principles of independence from political power and impartiality. It exists to inform and educate the public, not to appease the government.
What does a society lose when it cannot access information?
They lose the ability to make healthy decisions.
The reflex to claim rights is weakened.
Knowledge gives way to rumor, curiosity to indifference.
This is where the real responsibility of public broadcasting begins.