Türkiye's state-run Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) pushed back Saturday against news reports claiming it had prohibited the Walt Disney cartoon "Winnie the Pooh" due to the presence of Piglet, a pig character. The broadcaster called the reports false and said they were intended to damage its reputation.
TRT explained that while it had secured exclusive domestic rights to Walt Disney content, the materials had not yet been delivered, meaning the cartoon was simply absent from its library rather than actively banned. The deal, valued at roughly $880,000, was expected to provide the station with cartoons for nearly four years.
Earlier Saturday, newspapers had reported that TRT considered editing out Piglet but dropped that approach because the character appeared too frequently, ultimately deciding not to air the program at all. The cartoon has continued to appear on other Türkiye channels, and recordings remain available for purchase there.
Islam considers pigs unclean and forbids pork consumption. TRT operates under the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose party has Islamist roots and has faced criticism for pushing a higher public profile for religion in the country's constitutionally secular system. Staff at TRT have also raised concerns about growing political interference in editorial decisions.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.