The series that feeds lynch culture

The story about the pedophile named Metin Şenay , who raped numerous children in a soundproof room he built in a water delivery shop in Bağcılar, Istanbul, was first reported by Seyhan Avşar of Halktv.com.tr; and subsequently remained on the media agenda for days. That incident became the subject of a revenge scene in the series "Gaddar," which aired on Now TV.  

    The lead character “Gaddar,” played by Çağatay Ulusoy, kidnaps a man whose name is not mentioned but who is implied to be Metin Şenay by referring to a “water carboy shop,” and shoots him dead, just as he did to children, after showing him signs that read “Shut up,” “Don’t cry,” and “I will kill you”! “Gaddar” says, “Even if he gets a prison sentence, he will be out in a short time,” and then proceeds to execute him. and executes the villain himself! 

    Previously in the same series, Delil Aysal, who murdered taxi driver Oğuz Erge in İzmir, and İbrahim Keloğlan, who killed the cat Eros, were punishedby "Gaddar".

    The scenes of punishing villains in the series were covered in the media as, "The Metin Şenay incident that outraged society is in the Gaddar series" or "...becomes the subject of the series" made headlines with titles like these. However, these scenes clearly encourage punishing those who do evil without leaving it to the judiciary.  

    Yes, distrust in the judiciary is very widespread in Turkey, and there is even some justification for it. However, for the media to encourage distrust in the judiciary, and to preach this through current examples, fuels lynch culture. Journalism, which should stand for law and justice under all circumstances, should have opposed and criticized the "punishment without trial" in the series.

"WRITERS WHO HAVE TURNED INTO UPSTART PHENOMENA"

    Finally, different voices have begun to emerge from the pro-government media. Fatih Selek, in his article in the Türkiye newspaper titled "A little criticism: How did the media cause us to lose?" in his article "Some writers, uncouth upstart influencers, and media outlets in pro-government circles have turned into objects of hatred" he said. He did not stop there, and in summary, he made the following observations:

    "The media has turned into an approval organ. Journalism has been devalued, content has been shallow-minded, diversity has decreased, and headlines have become blurred. When you touch upon an important problem, you are labeled as having a 'Sözcü' mentality or being a turncoat... Even constructive criticism is not accepted.

     Let's say you are working on a positive story that would benefit the government. You cannot get information or statements from the relevant ministries. Communication has become singular and officialized. This perspective has brought inertia to the profession. A 'why should I care' attitude has emerged. Unfortunately, the media in both camps has taken on the task of 'protecting and watching over' its own side."

    Even though he did not touch upon the responsibility for the pressure and obstacles directed at the opposition media and the "inertia" in the pro-government media, Fatih Selek's observations are very valuable... I hope what Selek wrote opens the door to a new discussion in that neighborhood.

     After Selek's article, A criticism of the "media order" created by the AKP government also came from former AKP deputy and Yeni Şafak columnist Mehmet Metiner. In his social media post, Metiner emphasized that "blind partisanship will cause harm," and expressed the following views in summary: brought:

     “Taking sides does not mean silencing the voices of other sides or preventing other voices from being heard. I sincerely believe that a polyphonic and libertarian new media order will add true prestige and strength to the side taken or the idea defended.

    Every thought and every movement closed to criticism eventually produces its own status quo and the partisans who feed on that status quo, becoming stagnant and bigoted. For the media order to close itself to criticism in the name of partisanship is, first, a denial of itself, and second, harmful to the movement it is taking sides for.”

    It seems Metiner has also concluded that the pro-government media played a role in the AKP's election defeat. It is noteworthy that Metiner, even if after the election defeat, is able to take a critical look at the media order created throughout the 22 years of AKP rule and is calling for a polyphonic media. 

     Of course, if the situation of the pro-government media is to be discussed in terms of journalism, it should not be discussed based on whether it is useful to the AKP, but rather on whether it contributes to the public's right to information. A journalist does not, and cannot, prioritize party interests over the public interest.

“GEL FUEL” BECAME “JET FUEL”

      If the pro-government media is to renew itself, its first steps should be self-criticism regarding the news about trade with Israel. Because they provided logistical support from the very beginning to the government's effort to cover up the truth, while it appeared to be supporting Gaza but continued trade.

    Metin Cihan, a "citizen journalist" who has demonstrated an extremely successful example of "investigative journalism", has been revealing documents for months proving that trade with Israel is continuing, while opposition media, led by Karar and Milli Gazete, has persistently spoken the truth. The pro-government media, however, has been content with merely publishing ministry statements and repeatedly denying the documents.

     Even a deep-rooted news organization like the Anadolu Agency, which recently celebrated its 104th anniversary, was contributing to the cover-up of the trade with its reports. The Center for Combating Disinformation was also involved. even attempting to deny that fruits and vegetables were being exported to Israel, by trying to deny it, they were spreading disinformation. 

    Even when the truth became impossible to cover up and protest actions increased, the pro-government media did not stop defending the lie. They evolved from the line of "there is no trade with Israel" to "trade with Israel has decreased" or "those goods are going to Palestine via Israel" as their narrative.

    Nevertheless, the Ministry of Trade, on the export of 54 product groups to Israel restrictions were caught unprepared by the imposition of. So much so that, one day before the decision was announced, Yeni Akit, “Trade with Israel is a big lie”, Türkiye ran the headline “Provocation in Taksim: It’s not about Gaza.”

     Murat Özer in Akşam and Zafer Şahin in Milliyet were arguing that “Turkey is being weakened through the lie of trade with Israel.” Sinan Burhan in Yeni Akit, on the other hand, "There is a free market economy. You cannot seize these companies" they were writing.

     Since the ministry imposed a restriction, it means that this trade was going to Israel, not Palestine, and it could indeed be blocked. But those media outlets, along with Sinan Burhan and other writers, do not seem to have any intention of engaging in self-criticism. 

    Now I see that the pro-government media, instead of accepting the truth, is still retreating to a defensive line such as "an effort to discredit" or "Erdoğan is Palestine's greatest supporter." They are not giving up on being complicit in the lie. Moreover, whether the restriction even affects trade is doubtful.

    Furthermore, the Ministry of Trade's "jet fuel restriction" announcement also requires clarification. While the Ministry denied that gunpowder and explosives were being sent, it claimed that "gel fuel" was being sent to Israel; now, it has been announced that restrictions have been placed on the export of "jet fuel." 

    "Gel fuel" has become "jet fuel." Let's see where this fuel business will lead.

NEWS THAT BRINGS TOGETHER THE REPUBLIC AND TURKEY

     On the same day, there was a joint news story in Cumhuriyet and Türkiye. Türkiye, had used the headline, "We are now more expensive than Europe: The era of exchanging 100 dollars and going on vacation is over." headline had used. Cumhuriyet on the other hand “We have overtaken Europe” in prices,” it had published.

     Both reports were presented as “exclusive news” and included the reporters' bylines. However, both were based solely on the words of a businessman named A. Serdar Körükçü. The reports in Cumhuriyet and Türkiye did not mention where Körükçü had made these remarks. Fortunately, newspapers like Akşam, Hürriyet, and Milliyet had reported that Körükçü organized a “press meeting” to discuss his investments. Whatever the reason for its importance, the entire media had followed this meeting! 

    However, others like Cumhuriyet and Türkiye did not fall into the trap of claiming that tourism in Turkey is expensive based on Körükçü's words. This is because this individual is neither an executive nor an official of a tourism organization, but naturally a tourism professional looking out for their own commercial interests. 

     Moreover, five days before these reports, a report published in the UK in The Times "The British now prefer Bodrum in Turkey over Ibiza in Spain. Moreover, it is much cheaper" was being reported.  In another report by the tourism newspaper, it was also mentioned that German Travel Association President Norbert Fiebig stated, "Turkey has long represented good quality alongside low prices," and that the Holiday Money research in the UK identified Turkey as the cheapest destination.

    Given this, the reports published in Cumhuriyet and Türkiye, written without verification simply because a tourism professional "said so," conveyed misinformation. Furthermore, it served the interests of that tourism professional. 

In a single sentence:

• The Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom, took reporters from Milliyet, Sabah, and Yeni Şafak to Moscow to tour the facility that produces fuel for the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant; in return, they promoted the facility in Turkey. 

• In Karar's report on “record temperatures in Antarctica,” it was stated that “the region experienced an increase of 38.5 degrees above the seasonal average.” was written, but there was no information on what temperature it reached.

• In the Sabah "Great competition in mini electric cars" article, it was stated that two new models "would be the lowest-priced cars sold in Turkey" but no price was given.

• Hürriyet automotive writer T. Özgür Dil, noted that the car, which was promoted in the media as "domestic electric," was a vehicle produced in China in 2019 a "localized model" revealed it to be.  

• In the Yeni Şafak report titled "Paid off debts by stealing gold," the photograph of the person accused of murder was blurred in a completely meaningless way, despite their name being clearly written.  

• Akşam and Sabah, in their report titled "17.5 million dollar compensation for forcibly removing headscarf," stated that the New York City government would pay this amount to the two plaintiffs, but according to Hürriyet, the 17.5 million dollars would be distributed among a total of 3,600 women, with each receiving between 7,000 and 13,000 dollars. 

• Yeni Akit reported on the Şişli Municipality's launch of free testing for sexually transmitted diseases by labeling it as "First act in CHP-run Şişli is for the homos" thereby engaging in discrimination and hate speech.

• NTV and NOW TV, in their report on an "armed fight in Muğla," attributed the cause of the incident to a "girl issue," providing incomplete information and displaying a sexist approach.

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