July 15 advertisements have decreased...

The commemoration events for the July 15 coup attempt, which have turned into an "advertising feast" in the pro-government media, were more subdued this year. Advertisements in the pro-government media have also seen a decline.

I could not count the advertisements on television and news websites, but the advertisements in printed newspapers were fewer compared to last year. This year, a total of 90 pages of July 15 advertisements were published: 8 in Aydınlık, 8 in Akşam, 8 in Hürriyet, 12 in Posta, 9 in Sabah, 6 in Milat, 9 in Milliyet, 14 in Türkiye, 12 in Türkgün, and 6 in Yeni Akit. This page count was 118 last year.

Moreover, Yeni Şafak had published a 144-page special supplement in three volumes last year; the special supplement dropped to 94 pages this year. The eighth-anniversary special supplement published by Hürriyet was only 10 pages.

The biggest reason for the decrease in advertisements must be the reduction in the number of AKP-run municipalities and the austerity circular. When municipalities could no longer provide advertisements, the race to advertise in the pro-government media was left to private companies, foundation universities, and public banks. The most interesting part was that Demirören Holding, in addition to its own newspapers, also placed a full-page July 15 advertisement in Sabah.

While no July 15 advertisements were given to BirGün in the opposition media, half-page advertisements appeared in Sözcü and Karar. In Cumhuriyet, there was an increase compared to last year; this year there were six full advertisements covering 2.5 pages.

This year, a dimension of the July 15 events that included the media was the awarding of the "July 15 Courage Award." Ali İnci, Chairman of the July 15 National Will Association and one of the AKP Deputy Chairmen, rewarded some journalists who were in Parliament during the coup attempt. It is unclear how the journalists who were awarded eight years later were selected.

This is an unprecedented journalism award. Because journalism is not a profession whose success can be measured by courage. Journalists were there that evening for reporting purposes. Furthermore, the AKP administration or a politician cannot decide which of our colleagues is "brave."

MASSACRE-TRIGGERING JOURNALISM

Once upon a time, mainstream media was overflowing with news and articles about the love for animals. The friendship of dogs was fed by stories of dogs like "Hachiko," whose statue was erected in Japan.

The pro-government media was also supporting new regulations in the "Animal Protection Law" three years ago. But lately, they are demonizing stray dogs and making them a target. Worst of all, they are trying to create justifications to legitimize their killing. They are simplifying the mass killing of dogs with words like "euthanasia" and "putting to sleep."

Just think, Türkiye columnist Atilla Yayla wrote, "There is no such category of rights as animal rights"; he tried to belittle animal lovers by calling them "dog-worshippers." Akşam keeps writing about a "dog lobby," Yeni Akit writes about "Pitbull-headed people"; they highlight dog attacks. Yeni Şafak columnist Aydın Ünal calls it "dog terror," and his newspaper has been headlining an obscure "MASAK report" for days. They constantly report on dog attacks and traffic accidents involving dogs on TV; they tirelessly cover every incident for days.

They even report on the commission meetings in Parliament in a one-sided manner; they convey the meetings with provocative language and portray animal lovers as aggressive. Animal lovers who react to this attitude are chanting slogans on the streets, "Media, be ethical, don't be a trigger-man."

It is true that there is a problem with the increasing number of stray dogs in cities and that they sometimes attack. As journalists, we cannot ignore this problem. Of course, we should listen to both sides, empathize, and be a guide for a solution. We can pressure the AKP government not to leave the burden of this problem, which it cares so much about, to the municipalities, but the solution cannot be the slaughter of dogs.

Journalism is always on the side of the right to life. The Turkish Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities in Journalism states, "A journalist must respect the right to life of animals. They should not write news about animals in a human-centered way." We must act in accordance with this principle and respect the right to life of stray dogs. A journalist is always the voice of the silent and the strength of the weak.

CONFESSION FROM ERDOĞAN'S "CABIN CREW"

Two responses came to my call to disclose the "hotel bills" of the journalists traveling on President Erdoğan's plane and to Ertuğrul Özkök's criticism. Both were indirect, both were negative.

Ahmet Hakan, in his column in Hürriyet after the US trip, contented himself with reiterating under the headline "A personal travel note" that "they paid for their own hotel accommodation and the meals they ate." He did not refrain from saying that "lying and disinformation have become a national sport."

Sabah columnist Okan Müderrisoğlu also complained about the "attack to discredit the journalists following Erdoğan's foreign trips." Then he brought the subject to the questions asked to Erdoğan on the plane:

"Those questions are asked by media members. No one dictates them in the way they are used as material for a perception operation. Whoever wishes turns the issue they prioritize into a question. The main question framework is gathered by the Communications Directorate team. Background notes are prepared for Mr. President (to be used when necessary). Of course, there are also off-the-record explanations."

I thank Müderrisoğlu for this confession. That is the issue anyway. There is no defensible side to sending questions in advance and - although he did not say it - publishing the answers exactly as they were sent by the Communications Directorate after they were transcribed, corrected, and edited.

Moreover, the interviews on the plane are obvious. They could neither ask about the pensions that were waiting for Erdoğan's return from the US, nor could they remind him of Assad's condition for the "withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from Syria." Erdoğan visited the building that the AKP bought for 5 million dollars in Washington, and they skipped that too.

I'll skip all of that; they couldn't mention that going to the US with four planes is a huge waste to Erdoğan, who invites the country to save money. Why? Because they contribute to that waste by boarding those planes for free themselves.

BULLETIN JOURNALISM

"Boğaziçi University is the higher education institution that has shown the most progress in Europe." Anadolu Agency (AA) reported this news, and there was no "Sponsored" or "Advertorial" disclaimer on it. The first sentence of the news, which smelled like a PR bulletin, started with "according to the statement made by the university."

Such a bulletin should be passed through an editorial filter and turned into news; or at least subscribers should be warned by stating that it is paid. As a matter of fact, ANKA reported the same bulletin with an "Advertorial" note. Of course, it is mandatory to comply with publication principles in "Advertorial" texts as well.

The first question the journalist writing this should have asked while turning this bulletin into news should have been whether other universities from Turkey entered the ranking of the London-based higher education rating agency QS mentioned in the bulletin. AA did not conduct such an investigation, put the bulletin into service exactly as it was like news; some news sites also used it exactly as is.

Only the news site called "Sanayi Sitesi" passed the bulletin through an editorial filter; it examined QS's research and made the news, "Europe's best universities determined: 21 Turkish universities managed to enter the top 500." It provided the information that METU entered the ranking of the best universities in Europe at 114th place, ITU at 123rd, Koç University at 159th, and Boğaziçi University at 165th.

In this case, it is misleading for AA to write about Boğaziçi University, which is lower than universities like METU, ITU, and Koç from Turkey in the list, as if it were the only one in the ranking. Journalism has been made an intermediary for the university administration's advertising/promotional activities.

And that too, as an intermediary for a university administration like Boğaziçi University, which suppresses scientific freedom with the power of political authority and does not listen to the objections of the academic staff...

In one sentence:

• Aesthetic surgeon Bülent Cihantimur, whose ex-wife Eylem Tok smuggled their son, who caused the death of a person in a traffic accident, to the US, wrote a column about aesthetics in Hürriyet's Kelebek supplement for about three months last year, but his name does not appear in Hürriyet's list of columnists.

• Sözcü, with the headline "Greek itching, don't test our patience," Akşam with "Arrogant Greek," and Korkusuz with "The Greek's never-ending grudge," attributed the behavior of Greek artist Despina Vandi to the entire Greek nation and engaged in hate speech.

• The "World Press Federation," which Ferhat Aydoğan, who had cards printed with the Interior Ministry logo, said he was a member of during his interrogation, is an Ankara-based company that provides "international education, finance, credit, visa, and company establishment" services, even though it looks like a journalism organization.

• Milli Gazete, in its headline "Perverted hand reached out to our children," described the aid activities of "some NGOs and volunteers" in the earthquake zone as "perversion."

• In the news "1200 TL pomegranate juice shock for tourists" published in places like İHA, AHaber, Posta, Türkiye, TRT Haber, and Akşam, the real price of the pomegranate juice was missing.

• Yeni Akit smeared a person who is no longer alive, Sinan Ateş, who fell victim to a murder in which the Ülkü Ocakları was also involved, with the news "Beater Sinan Ateş is a brother to FETÖ."

• CHP Chairman Özel, who called on opposition journalists criticizing the "turning lights on and off" protest to "Go out to the squares and support the struggle," confused journalism with activism.

• The pro-government media, especially Sabah, ignored the fact that Special Operations Department Head Süleyman Karadeniz kissed the hand of MHP Chairman Bahçeli and the criticisms regarding it.

• Sözcü confused journalism with fortune-telling by writing that astrology writer Seyran Ataklı had predicted the assassination attempt on US presidential candidate Trump in advance.

• Yeni Şafak Editor-in-Chief Hüseyin Likoğlu accused the Ataturkist segment without any basis by saying, "Those who attempted the July 15 betrayal were not Fethullahists who appeared to be Muslim. On the contrary, they were those who appeared to be fast Ataturkists and Kemalists."

• The "backstage" claim put forward by TV100 presenter Cansu Canan Özgen, saying "It looks like a wave of MP transfers will be seen next week," regarding seven MPs who would switch to the AKP, has not yet come true.

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