Turkey’s public broadcaster registers as foreign agent
TRT's registration comes as the Donald Trump administration has been pressing state broadcasters to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Turkey’s national public broadcaster has registered as a foreign agent, according to new lobbying filings with the Justice Department.
According to the filings, TRT — the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation — is engaged in "political activities" as defined by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) through its "preparation and dissemination of informational materials" via its English-language TRT World channel. TRT launched TRT World in 2015 to provide a 24-hour Turkish perspective on world affairs. It is based in Istanbul and has broadcast centers in Washington, London and Singapore.
The company’s Washington bureau chief, Tuncay Yurekli, is the sole foreign agent on the account.
The filings state that TRT is funded by fees on the Turkish public and via advertising, but does not receive government funding. It operates as an autonomous legal entity with its own board of governors.
