If Akit criticizes İsmail Arı: Who is the mirror being held up to?

In Akit Newspaper, Ali Karahasanoğlu penned an article criticizing BirGün Newspaper reporter İsmail Arı following his arrest. In his article, Karahasanoğlu cited a series of examples to claim that Arı is not a good journalist, and referring to Arı, he stated:

“Slandering the religious under the guise of journalism; ignoring, or even defending, the corruption of leftists, no matter what anyone says, is never, ever journalism.”

Setting aside what Karahasanoğlu said, let us recall how Akit practices journalism and what line it has followed in which incidents.

Before moving on to the examples, let us look at how Akit introduces İsmail Arı:

“BirGün writer İsmail Arı, who introduces himself as a 'journalist', pretends to be a leftist founded by the 'Red Soros' Osman Kavala, and serves global gangs…”

What does it mean to introduce oneself as a journalist? What does it mean to pretend to be a leftist? I leave that to your judgment.

Let us move on to the examples.

Based on statements Müjdat Gezen made in the past, Akit wrote the following headline about him in 2018—I state this with regret:

“'Pimp' Müjdat Gezen turns out to be a pedophile!”

Since when has hate speech been called journalism? Furthermore, in a place where such a style prevails, who can defend these expressions in the name of journalism?

As you may have noticed, as we mentioned above, Akit referred to Osman Kavala while using its news about Arı. As is known, Kavala was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment on charges of “attempting to overthrow the government.” Akit covered almost all news regarding Osman Kavala with the headline “Red Soros.” It used this accusation and this language in all its news. It even reported on the European foundations that supported him as follows:

“European foundations, which sow seeds of discord in Turkey under the guise of Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs), support PKK terrorism, strive for the spread of homosexual perversion, and provide financial support to Gezi vandals, have taken action for the release of 'Red Discord' Osman Kavala.”

Karahasanoğlu is questioning Arı's journalism, so let us ask again: do these expressions represent journalism, or do these sentences guide us?

Or let us ask this: should journalism in Turkey be practiced at this level and with this understanding? Is this what Akit understands by journalism?

Let us continue.

In Akit, the following headline was used regarding Evrensel Newspaper with the byline of Ramazan Alkan: "PKK mouthpiece Evrensel is being shut down.”

The content of the news included opinions that Evrensel targeted the Turkish people with its headlines and supported PKK-affiliated teachers who were dismissed from public service.

If Akit accepts being the subject of a news story made with a similar attribution and style, let us call what they are doing journalism from their perspective. If not, let them decide for themselves what they are. Then we can talk.

When it comes to Akit, one cannot help but mention Prof. Dr. Türkan Saylan. Look at the expressions Akit used regarding Saylan:

“Who is Türkan Saylan, whose mother was born in England, whose foundation that grants scholarships to herself and supporters of the terrorist organization PKK is mentioned as a missionary in MIT reports, and who spent her life hostile to the headscarf but was condemned to the headscarf at the end of her life?”

Is it a line that makes even the answer to this question unnecessary with the language used while saying “Who is Türkan Saylan” that will remind us of journalistic principles? Explanations about who Saylan is can be made in various ways. However, can a definition be made by targeting, turning into an object of hatred, and even ignoring the illness she was suffering from by saying “she was condemned to the headscarf”?

When one thinks of Türkan Saylan, one undoubtedly thinks of her extraordinary efforts, studies, and medical endeavors regarding leprosy, and of course her sensitivity toward girls and her concern for education. Akit has seen none of these. But now we are going to discuss Arı's journalism, is that so? Move on.

Our last example is about the imprisoned Beylikdüzü Mayor Murat Çalık, who has been on the agenda for months due to his illnesses. While reporting on Mayor Çalık's illness, Akit deemed the following headline appropriate: “Çalık is as fit as a fiddle.”

I will not go into the details of the news here. Instead, I want to directly quote the words of Bülent Arınç, who visited Çalık:

"There is a shameless newspaper. A newspaper devoid of morality and decency. Greed has blinded their eyes. They have put a headline above the headline. Let me say it here. Murat Çalık is not 'fit as a fiddle' or anything like that. I am visiting, I have visited Murat Çalık.”

This is Akit's news language and the line it follows.

There is also a reality that the country is in regarding press freedom. According to the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by the international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Turkey ranks 159th out of 180 countries in terms of press freedom. That is, even countries like Pakistan (158), Bahrain (157), Sudan (156), and Iraq (155) are in a better situation than us.

Well, has Akit followed a critical journalistic line on the subject to date?

Has it defended media and press freedom, or condemned the detention and arrest of journalists for arbitrary reasons?

Has it been in favor of freedom of expression and the oversight function of the press, and has it expressed its concerns about this? No.

Let alone being in such a state of concern and responsibility, even today Akit is questioning İsmail Arı's journalism and signing articles and news stories about it.

What can we say…

Journalism is not the profession of those who always hold the mirror in their hand up to others.

Journalism is not the job of those who leave their own language in the dark while searching for someone else's flaws with a magnifying glass.

That mirror eventually turns to everyone.

No matter how much you hold it up to others, the truth is patient; it waits.

And one day, the mirror you hid from your face stands right in front of you.

At that moment, you do not see your face; you see the language you use, the sentences you construct, and the truth you try to hide.

Because the truth is not what is hidden, but what comes out sooner or later.