They did not object to the 'f*** your mother' slur

THEY WROTE A SIX-MONTH-OLD STUDY AS IF IT WERE NEW

The campaign launched in the pro-government media against stray dogs continues at full speed. Anti-dog news stories are published almost every day on the front pages, and often as headlines, in Akşam, Sabah, Türkiye, Yeni Akit, and Yeni Şafak. However, such exaggerated and baseless expressions are used at times that one is left in astonishment while reading them. 

For example, a high school student in Ankara was bitten on the leg by a dog. In the news report used by Anadolu Agency, TRT Haber, and Global TV, the father, Hakan Tanrısever, said that “his son wanted to be a soldier but there was a possibility he would be eliminated from the military interview because of the scar on his leg.” Why would a scar on a leg be an obstacle to military service? This is an exaggerated concern…  

There was also a strange sentence in a Türkiye newspaper report, based on a report of unknown origin, titled “Catching and caring for them hits the economy”:

“Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı said in his statement the other day that the number of stray dogs in Turkey is estimated to be close to 4 million, but according to some experts, this figure could even be 10 million.”

Minister Yumaklı says 4 million; the proposal in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) also states the number of stray dogs as 2 million. In the Türkiye newspaper's report, however, the number of stray dogs is suddenly increased to 10 million based on “some experts”!

Moreover, that sentence in the report continues by saying “When the number is accepted as 10 million”; the cost of catching, feeding, and neutering is calculated accordingly. Prejudice and hostility take precedence over information in this report.   

The “Stray dogs public opinion poll” news was first published on TRT Haber; then it spread to the pro-government media. According to this research, which was stated to have been conducted by the Directorate of Communications, 80.4 percent of the “volunteers” who answered the questions advocated the view that “They should be placed in shelters, and those that are not adopted and are sick should be put to sleep.” However, the research was conducted between October 18 and November 8, 2023, and six months had passed. It could not have taken the Directorate of Communications six months to evaluate it; after all, it is a short survey of five questions… 

I do not know if the Directorate just announced it now, or if the pro-government media published old research as if it were new. But presenting research conducted six months ago—when the proposal involving the “putting to sleep,” i.e., killing, of dogs was not even on the table—as if it were new is also hostile. 

As can be understood from these examples, journalism is being instrumentalized to manufacture consent for the killing of stray dogs. Yet, journalists are obligated to convey complete and objective information so that people can make the right decisions. 

THEY DID NOT OBJECT TO THE “F*** YOUR MOTHER” SLUR

Galatasaray Manager Okan Buruk joined the fans who turned Sezen Aksu’s song “Şinanay” into a slogan during the championship celebrations:

“Şinanay da yavrum şina şinanay! F*** your mother, Galatasaray.”

Okan Buruk and the fans enthusiastically repeated the phallocentric, abusive language that demeans all women and views the female body as an object of revenge that night. The footage taken with phones was also shared on many fans' social media accounts. 

Unfortunately, Okan Buruk’s slur did not receive the necessary reaction in the football media. Fandom came into play again; besides Fenerbahçe fans on social media, Okan Buruk was only criticized by names like Manager Ümit Özat in some broadcasts on YouTube. 

Outside of the football media, a small number of sites such as ABC, Habertürk, Oda TV, Internet Haber, Türktime, and Yeniçağ published reports saying he “crossed the line.” The next day, former MHP Antalya Deputy Nesrin Ünal and the Women for Equality Platform condemned Okan Buruk and asked him to apologize to all women. The platform’s statement said, “By polluting Sezen Aksu’s song Şinanay at the championship celebration, Okan Buruk has glorified rape culture, verbally raped the dignity and bodies of women and all mothers, and committed an abusive attack.” 

However, I did not see the platform’s statement in Artı Gerçek, Bianet, Birgün, Diken, Evrensel, Gazete Duvar, Gazete Pencere, Gerçek Gündem, Serbestiyet, or anywhere abroad. Mainstream media organizations such as Hürriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, and Sözcü did not give credence to this statement either. Only Mevlüt Tezel in Günaydın and Bedri Baykam in Cumhuriyet criticized Okan Buruk in their columns. Later, there were those who reported the criminal complaint by Fenerbahçe fans and the words of Mahmut Uslu, but it was very brief.

Since they did not strongly object and instead ignored it, our media and football writers are not bothered by Okan Buruk’s phallocentric language of rape. They also bear great responsibility for the normalization of such slurs in the football community and the turning of fans against one another. 

THE WEEK’S INVITED JOURNALIST TRIPS 

We discussed “invited journalism” on the occasion of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu taking 37 journalists to Rome to watch the European Olympic Games signing ceremony. It was a good thing; attention was drawn to a wrong that has been widely practiced for years. 

However, the discussions did not really affect “invited journalism”; invited trips continue at full speed. Therefore, I have decided to publish the lists of invited trips and participating journalists in this column from now on, as far as I can learn them. 

In recent days, invited trips were organized to Barcelona, Madrid, Leipzig, and Şanlıurfa. Journalists Ahmet Ergen (NTV), Fevzi Çakır (Habertürk), Dicle Canova (CNN Türk), and Orhan Sali (A Haber) participated in the Leipzig trip, which Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Uraloğlu took on a private jet belonging to a construction company to attend the International Transport Forum. 

Turkish Airlines (THY) took a plane full of businesspeople and artists, as well as journalists, on an invited trip for the “Turkey night” it organized in Madrid. Journalists Fulya Soybaş (Hürriyet), Şirin Sever (Posta), Ömer Karahan (Günaydın), and Cansu Canan Özgen (TV100) were also on the trip. 

Limak Holding took journalists Feride Cem (Sabah), Hacer Boyacıoğlu (Hürriyet), Toygun Atilla (Patronlar Dünyası), Faruk Şüyün (Ekonomim), and Ertuğrul Özkök to Barcelona to watch the ceremony held because it is a sponsor of the Palau de la Música Catalana (Palace of Catalan Music). Only Hacer Boyacıoğlu and Toygun Atilla included the information that the trip was an invited one in their reports. 

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Ersoy went to the opening of the “Culture Road Festival” in Şanlıurfa with journalists Akif Bülbül (Türkiye), Ece Ceyhun (Dünya), Gizem Türemen (Habertürk), Gonca Şenay (Hürriyet), Hüseyin Likoğlu (Yeni Şafak), Pınar Aktaş (Milliyet), and Verda Özer (Posta). 

JOURNALISTS ADVERTISING DETERGENTS AND MATTRESSES 

A detergent company has started an application of “consumers refilling empty liquid detergent bottles in the store” by making an agreement with one of the chain markets. To popularize the application, they are shooting advertising footage with celebrities on social media.

It is natural for actors to appear in commercials, but among those acting in the advertisement for the application in the market with an empty liquid detergent bottle in their hand are two journalists; Özlem Gürses from Tele 1 and Şirin Sever from Posta.

Journalist Balçiçek İlter also praised a mattress brand at length in a video she shared on social media, saying, “I found a wonderful mattress, and I am very happy. I will write all the information below for you. I will also share the images of the mattress later.” The mattress brand she promoted also published this footage of İlter on its website under the heading “W… user reviews.” 

I have written it many times before, let me repeat it once more; journalists appearing in advertisements is contrary to the fundamental principles of the profession. A journalist reports the facts. They do not speak according to the wishes of whoever pays them; they cannot praise a product in exchange for a fee. 

A journalist who does advertising dedicates the reliability and credibility of their profession to protecting the interests of a company in exchange for money. 

In a single sentence:

• Karar published BirGün’s report on the purchase of nine new luxury vehicles for the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) without citing the source and carefully removing the word “BirGün” from the text. 
• Emlak Konut, a public institution, placed full-page advertisements on the same day in Akşam, Aydınlık, Diriliş Postası, Dünya, Hürriyet, Milat, Milliyet, Ekonomi, Posta, Sabah, Takvim, Türkgün, Türkiye, Yeni Akit, and Yeni Şafak newspapers for its new housing sales project.
• Korkusuz wrote a report titled “Rain of reaction to Hadise: She sang the 10th Year March in a swimsuit,” as if special clothing were required while singing the anthem; it wrote its own opinion as the reaction of the citizens. 
• In Hürriyet’s report “Two shameless men,” Müge Anlı and ATV, who uncovered the sexual abuse incident, were not mentioned, and it was deemed sufficient to say “on the program” and “on live broadcast.”
• Sözcü TV did not cite ANKA as a source in its report on “RTÜK’s annual penalty balance sheet,” and it also presented RTÜK’s report, which had not yet been released, as if it had been.  
• Akşam used a photo of the children with their faces visible in its report “Photo ban on girls,” which described actor Anıl Altan’s decision not to show his daughters’ faces in order to protect them.
• Yeni Şafak reported on the port investments of the newspaper’s owner, Albayrak Holding, in other countries in its report “Turkey’s move in port competition.”
• Show TV and 24 TV broadcast the interview program with former CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu without citing KRT TV as the source.
• Cumhuriyet quoted an analysis on the Turkish economy published in the Financial Times by relying on the Dünya newspaper. 
• MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli insulted and targeted Halk TV, Now TV, and Sözcü TV due to their reports on the Sinan Ateş murder.
• The information that SETA receives funding from the EU was first uncovered in BirGün in September 2023 with the headline “Record grant to the foundation that profiles journalists.” 
• KRT TV announced the Dubai Royal Business Council President Süleyman Taşçılar giving a representation certificate to businessman Murat Sancak with a live broadcast lasting over half an hour.
• The headline “Giant salary for Buruk: 75 million liras” was used in Milliyet, but it is not a “salary” given to Okan Buruk, but an “annual fee.”  
• Kelebek columnist Ömür Gedik promoted the novel written by Doğan Holding Board Member Soner Gedik in two consecutive columns. 

FOR YOUR CRITICISM, COMPLAINTS, AND SUGGESTIONS: [email protected]