Response and convention statement from Kılıçdaroğlu

I had previously touched upon former CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's complaints regarding news reports and commentary made about him based on his "inner circle" and "backstage" sources. 

I emphasized that it is natural for journalists to try to learn Kılıçdaroğlu's stance, and I directed the criticism: "If Kılıçdaroğlu were to appear before journalists and answer their questions, he would not have to struggle to refute 'inner circle' and 'backstage' reports; journalists would have received information from the source." Following the publication of my criticism last week, Kılıçdaroğlu sent the following response:

“June 24, 2025, Sözcü Newspaper: Kılıçdaroğlu said, ‘I hope an absolute nullity does not emerge, but if it does, I cannot leave my party to a trustee. If I do not accept it, a trustee will come. Should I leave it to a trustee?  After the decision, I will sit down and talk with Özel.’

Mr. Bildirici, I answer as many questions as possible from journalists who ask to learn my thoughts and convey them to the public in an impartial manner.

Regarding the question about a process that I announced in June and which appeared in an 8-column headline in the newspaper that reported it,

a process in which I had no knowledge, opinion, or involvement, the intention behind the words 'We cannot leave our party to a trustee' was;

‘If we face a result as discussed in the public eye, we would come together with our former Chairmen, the authorized bodies of our party, our deputies, and our provincial and district heads to consult our collective wisdom and overcome this difficult process hand-in-hand within the party, without leaving it to an outside trustee.’ 

I thank everyone, through you, for all constructive and well-intentioned criticisms.

The news report that Kılıçdaroğlu drew attention to in his response was published on Sözcü's website under the headline, 'The most talked-about Kılıçdaroğlu gossip in the corridors of Ankara: What will he do if a trustee is appointed to the CHP on June 30?' A day later, this story was used in the print edition of Sözcü with the headline, 'If a nullity ruling is issued, I will return.'

In the response he sent to me, Kılıçdaroğlu only referred to the report in Sözcü. In fact, the development regarding the response Kılıçdaroğlu gave to the proposal by Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş, Mersin Metropolitan Mayor Vahap Seçer, and CHP Party Assembly Member Engin Özkoç—who visited him to suggest 'meeting with Özgür Özel and acting together against a potential absolute nullity ruling'—was first reported that morning by İsmail Saymaz on Halktv.com.tr.

Subsequently, a report with similar content regarding Ankara Provincial Chair Ümit Erkol's visit to Kılıçdaroğlu was published on Ekol TV's news site under the byline of Eray Görgülü. Sözcü's news site had also cited Ekol TV's report.

The common feature of these reports was that the sentences attributed to Kılıçdaroğlu contained information obtained by our journalist colleagues. Since they were not based on a direct statement made by Kılıçdaroğlu, they were still met with skepticism in those days...

It is understood that Kılıçdaroğlu acknowledges that those expressions in the news were his own and that he still holds the same view. We now have first-hand information about what Kılıçdaroğlu will do in the event that the court issues an 'absolute nullity' ruling.

The censored parts of the US trip  

The question posed to President Erdoğan by an Anadolu Agency reporter at the press conference held at the airport before his departure for the US—'Özgür Özel claimed that you were negotiating with Trump's son regarding Gaza. May we have your thoughts?'—was incorrect.

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel had alleged that Erdoğan was not negotiating a "Gaza deal" with Trump's son, but rather a deal to purchase 300 Boeing aircraft for Turkish Airlines (THY) in exchange for an appointment with President Donald Trump. However, pro-government media outlets, in their reports on the responses given to Özel by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik, did not include what Özel had actually said; in other words, they "censored" it. 

Therefore, the Anadolu Agency reporter's incorrect question about a "Gaza deal" provided an opportunity for the pro-government media to also publish Erdoğan's response in a misleading way.

However, the AA reporter who made this error took the correct stance in response to Erdoğan's question, "Was he with us? You don't believe in such things, do you?" by saying, "We are asking you, sir." As a reporter, they reiterated their question without compromising their journalistic integrity.

 One of the topics "censored" by pro-government media regarding President Erdoğan's US trip was his response to a TRT reporter's question: "What would you say about Bahçeli's call for a 'TRC alliance' (Turkey-Russia-China)?" I could not find Erdoğan's remark, delivered with a puzzled expression, "To be honest, I haven't followed this closely; may it be for the best," in the pro-government media. They may have thought that this off-the-cuff response from Erdoğan would not please MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli.

 The third censored topic was the sarcastic response from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Erdoğan's claim that "Trump could not end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza." Those following pro-government media did not learn of Rubio's words: "Countries, including Turkey, are practically begging us to get involved in these matters. These people can say what they want, but at the end of the day, when they want something handled, they come to the White House." Even in reports regarding Ömer Çelik's statement criticizing the opposition, Rubio's words were absent. 

 Furthermore, on the day Erdoğan arrived in New York, additional taxes imposed on products imported from the US—such as automobiles, alcoholic beverages, cosmetics, rice, paper, and tobacco—were lifted. Naturally, the pro-government media did not link this gesture toward the US to Erdoğan's meeting with Trump.  

Common headlines distorting Yavaş's words

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş, during a press conference held following the investigation launched into concerts, stated, "I have nothing to defend regarding the concerts; if they were overpriced, they will pay the penalty, but if they were not, they will be cleared." However, the news websites of Akşam, A Haber, Sabah, and Takvim took the first half of Yavaş's sentence and ran similar headlines:

"Mansur Yavaş's concert scandal confession: I have nothing to defend"

 Milliyet also joined the joint headline effort by using the word "response" instead of "confession," with the headline "Response from Mansur Yavaş to the concert investigation: I have nothing to defend."

Thus, they portrayed the sentence in which Yavaş was trying to explain that he had no personal involvement in the matter as if he had admitted guilt and made a confession. In the face of such obvious distortion, I cannot speak of journalistic ethics; this is now a matter of conscience and morality. 

However, the pro-government media, which uses joint headlines for joint texts in operations against CHP municipalities, either ignored the forced resignations of eight AKP provincial chairs entirely or glossed over them with minor news items. The newspaper Sabah wrote that "AK Party is starting its tendency polls," implying that provincial chairs would be determined through "interviews." As if determining a provincial chair without an election were natural... 

It was not pursued, but it is understood that there are also some allegations regarding the AKP provincial chairs who were forced to resign. Indeed, Akşam newspaper Editor-in-Chief Mustafa Kartoğlu brought up the resignations within the AKP while evaluating the operation in Ankara on a program on 24 TV:

"That process has started in the AK Party as well. In other words, the AK Party is cleaning up the problematic areas within itself. It is cleaning up problematic individuals, municipalities, and so on. I had heard since last year that such investigations would progress to the point of cutting off arms, perhaps even cutting off heads. There will be no looking at things like, 'Let's warn our friend,' and so on. There is no warning, there is no such thing as 'let's warn them.' Now, can there be a warning for corruption?"

In his speech, Kartoğlu supported this method by citing the AKP's previous forced resignations of some mayors, adding, "While keeping the justifications reserved, well, whatever forms in everyone's mind, there is nothing to be done."

This is a wrong and double-standard approach. As a journalist, Kartoğlu should not have defended keeping crimes hidden or covering them up with behind-the-scenes methods. He should not have forgotten that journalists are obligated to pursue corruption and bribery, regardless of who is accused, and to investigate and inform the public.  

When it comes to CHP-run municipalities, you pursue the matter and publish all allegations with definitive, judgmental language; yet when the arrows point toward the AKP, you advocate for 'keeping the justifications confidential'! You don't even report on the 'cleanup' within the AKP in your newspaper; this is unacceptable! 

 The journalist who overshadows the news with his own photos 

The headline 'The nameless and addressless of the homeland' focused on the Land Forces Command's garrison in Konya and the defense systems located there. This report, penned by Milliyet Editor-in-Chief Özay Şendir, was spread across two full pages inside the paper.

 When I noticed that, in addition to the logo photo of Özay Şendir on the front page, there was also a photo of him with the soldiers at the system site, I checked the inside pages as well.  There were six photos on one page; in five of them, Özay Şendir was visible walking with soldiers, looking at the systems, etc. On the other page, in two of the four photos, Özay Şendir was again visible walking with soldiers and standing in front of the HERİKKS system; additionally, a signed photo of Özay Şendir was placed at the beginning of the article.

You would think the main element of the news was the fact that Özay Şendir had gone there. Still, I didn't dwell on these photos from August 14; I thought it might be a one-time approach, so I didn't write about it.

However, this approach of putting the journalist ahead of the news was repeated once again in Milliyet's September 20 headline, 'Here is the heart of Altay.' In four of the five photos on the front page, Özay Şendir was seen looking at the Altay tank and touring the facility with BMC Chairman of the Board Fuat Tosyalı; on the ninth page, in four of the five photos, Özay Şendir was again seen touring the facility with Tosyalı; in addition, there was another signed photo of Özay Şendir.

It is not a common practice in our media for an editor-in-chief to adorn their articles and interviews with their own photos. As far as I know, let alone an editor-in-chief, no journalist uses so many of their own photos in a report they have produced. In such reports, there is usually one, or at most two, photos that simply reflect that they were there. The essential principle is that the journalist should not overshadow the news. Özay Şendir, however, was in front of the news, and what he reported remained in his shadow.  

In a single sentence:

• By charging journalists who attended the opening party of the 18th International Istanbul Biennial, the IKSV, as emphasized by Tuğrul Eryılmaz in his article on T24, "joined the queue of devaluing journalism and confused the 'journalist' with the 'customer'."

• Hürriyet columnist Fuat Bol begins his article titled "Is an Islamic NATO possible?" with the sentence, "NATO is a security alliance; it was established against the Warsaw Pact, which was once the communist bloc alliance"; however, NATO was established in 1949, while the Warsaw Pact was established in 1955. (Rahmi Yıldırım)

• Journalist Emrullah Erdinç's sharing of footage showing a person standing over a man he had stabbed in Giresun while the victim was dying was violence porn; by writing "...he could neither get his house nor a refund. The angry victim stabbed the contractor in the middle of the street," he was also legitimizing violence. 

• Nefes did not cite the source in its report titled "Waste water in the mine overflowed and mixed into the stream," which it took from BirGün.

• The headlines of the reports on the Agos, Bianet, Cumhuriyet, and Habertürk websites stating "Murat Çalık was hospitalized" contradicted the statement from his lawyers, which was also included in the reports, that "he was not hospitalized, but only taken to the hospital for routine check-ups."

• Yeni Şafak published an advertising text titled "K... on the way to becoming a global brand" under the guise of a news report without including a "This is an advertisement" disclaimer.

• A ceramic company took reporters from Akşam, Yeni Şafak, and Hürriyet to the Cersaie 2025 fair in Bologna as guests; in return, they wrote reports praising the company.

• Nejat İşler's use of profanity toward a tabloid reporter who cornered him in front of a restaurant late at night is certainly inexcusable, but the reporter's attitude and the questions asked in that situation were also inappropriate.

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