Character assassinations in the media, "I heard it from a friend" journalism, and suggestions for Levent Gültekin

The most fundamental principle of journalism is to verify the accuracy of information at all costs. Regardless of whether it is a news report, content, or an article, it should not be published without questioning the reliability of the source and being absolutely certain of its veracity.

Especially when presenting allegations to the public that could negatively affect people's lives, a much greater level of sensitivity is required.

A more careful, diligent, and meticulous effort must be carried out during the process of reporting such allegations or tips.

A journalist examines the information they receive in detail, puts it through a filter of accuracy, reaches out to the relevant parties, gives them the opportunity to make a statement, and presents the documents.

For we are in a period where even the state's official documents are questioned, and where there are even allegations on the agenda that fake documents are being produced to cover up the truth.

For this reason, practicing real journalism, finding the truth, and informing the public is becoming more difficult every day.

We are in a period where the AKP government is increasingly ramping up pressure, detaining and arresting politicians, academics, journalists, citizens, and even astrologers for various reasons.

In this process, the AKP, with the experience it has gained over the years, has established its mechanism of pressure in a very effective and systematic way.

It does this sometimes through capital, sometimes with trolls on social media, sometimes through massive media organizations created with public resources, and sometimes through journalists who stand out with their opposition identity.

In this article, I will not talk about opposition journalists whom I believe are being used for manipulation, or people about whom such rumors exist.

I will speak directly by name about a person known for his identity as a commentator and journalist-author: Levent Gültekin.

I know him more from his articles published on www.diken.com.tr and his social media posts than from television programs.

I have no personal acquaintance with him, nor have I encountered him in any setting.

The subject of my article is a video clip that was recently published and spread rapidly.

In this video clip, Levent Gültekin states that it is enough for CHP members to be enemies of each other and that there is no need for another enemy, and he holds CHP members responsible for the operation against Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler.

Gültekin even named names in this video and targeted Prof. Dr. Duran Bülbül, one of Turkey's respected finance professors and also one of 12punto's writers.

Duran Bülbül is a respected figure who is known for his loyalty to the Republic of Turkey and Atatürk, has trained students for years, has tried to raise public awareness with his writings, and has served the state.

Levent Gültekin claimed that Bülbül was the person who took the allegation of corruption in the Beykoz Municipality to the judiciary, and by predicting the possible consequences, he provided baseless material to the government's media outlets.

He voiced this allegation without any documents, witnesses, or concrete basis, relying solely on hearsay, and said, "Prof. Dr. Duran Bülbül reported the municipality."

When you watch it, he speaks with such confidence as if he had seen Duran Bülbül there and had received the petition himself.

Journalist title aside, even an ordinary citizen is obliged to provide evidence when accusing someone on legal grounds.

Someone who claims to be a journalist must also document the allegation they put forward or avoid speculation if they cannot present these documents. Otherwise, this turns into a character assassination.

I know that after this statement by Gültekin, he met with Prof. Dr. Duran Bülbül. It is clear that he could not make a convincing explanation without presenting any documents or witnesses. Despite this, he did not make a correction regarding the accusations he had previously announced to the public, nor did he apologize.

Yet, in such a situation, he should have been able to say, "The information provided to me was wrong, I made an erroneous statement, I may have misled the public, I apologize to Duran Bülbül."

This would have meant fulfilling his responsibility to the public. It would have somewhat eliminated the destruction caused by an allegation made without adhering to the basic principles of journalism.

Misinformation spreads very quickly. One needs to empathize. Various rumors and accusations have been voiced about Gültekin for years as well. Some of these are based on quite sensitive issues. However, these allegations are not reported without their accuracy being verified. And they should not be reported... The same meticulousness should have been shown in statements directed at a name respected by the public like Duran Bülbül.

In the end, Levent Gültekin has voiced an accusation that is not based on any document or source.

Afterward, he tried to explain the groundlessness of the government's operations against the CHP with general expressions. This is a contradictory attitude. He has been harshly criticized for his contradictory statements, or even for statements that could be considered the exact opposite. You can watch it from the link below.

Levent Gültekin, aylarca İmamoğlu’nu ve CHP’yi hedef alan yayınlar yaptı. Şimdi baktı ki toplumsal rüzgar başka yerden ediyor dönüp “Ben aslında” demeye başladı. https://t.co/KDPwBHEULg

— Altan Sancar (@altansancarr) April 1, 2025

It is true that Gültekin stands out with his commentator identity. However, I do not think he produces any noteworthy journalism in the technical sense. A journalist-commentator who has reached the age of 53 must adhere to basic journalistic principles when making allegations that could affect people's lives. This is in the nature of the profession.

We are in a period where the concept of "reality" is blurred, and even the government says "the horse tracks are mixed with the dog tracks." In such an atmosphere, a journalist targeting a respected academic with an approach that does not contain good intentions is an issue that needs to be thought about.

Journalism is not done by getting in front of the camera and relaying hearsay. Relaying information from sources close to the government or people with the intent of manipulation without verifying it is also not journalism.

Recently, we see that many journalists, seeing themselves as privileged (they are made to feel that way), spread various rumors by saying "information coming from sources close to the CHP." But is there a document? If so, has the accuracy of this document been investigated? The answer to these questions is mostly uncertain.

We can easily understand that the government is now using or trying to use journalists who appear to be in opposition instead of the worn-out newspapers and TV channels it owns for manipulation. Therefore, every journalist must question who they might be serving without realizing it.

What we need to do is simple: adhere strictly to basic journalistic principles and do reporting that only considers the public interest and is based on verified information.

For this reason, I suggest that Levent Gültekin admit that his statements regarding 12punto's valuable writer Prof. Dr. Duran Bülbül are baseless, apologize, and correct this mistake by informing the public.

For there are videos on the internet that reveal that if there is a tip-off regarding the Beykoz Municipality, Levent Gültekin himself made it.

In one of these videos, he says that an operation will be carried out on the Beşiktaş and Beykoz Municipalities. He states that he has been told by some sources he trusts very much that the government is collecting documents, audio recordings, photos, and information. His very confident demeanor in these videos is noteworthy.

In other words, 4 months before Gültekin published his video targeting Duran Bülbül, he himself reported the Beykoz Municipality.

On the other hand, I am sure that Prof. Dr. Duran Bülbül, who has had no connection with the Beykoz Municipality since last December, will take Gültekin's allegations to the legal ground.