Fatih Portakal's statement on Cumhuriyet newspaper: 'Why would I attend the night of an irredeemable, tainted management that publishes news for money?'

Cumhuriyet newspaper, one of the most respected newspapers in the Turkish press, recently celebrated its 100th anniversary with an event attended by prominent figures from the worlds of art, business, and politics.

Journalist Fatih Portakal, who did not attend the event, made the following post on his social media account.

I did not go to Cumhuriyet newspaper's 100th-anniversary celebration. Why would I attend the night of this irredeemable, and in my opinion, tainted management that publishes news for money and fires people for exposing it? Should I be complicit in their character?

Last year, Cumhuriyet newspaper made headlines with a scandal involving the publication of news against the e-commerce law in exchange for money from a Chinese e-commerce platform.

During the period of intense debate, the newspaper's name was tarnished, and reports appeared in various media outlets regarding the situation that the foundation's administrators had brought the newspaper into.

One of the figures who reacted to the newspaper's management and the practice of publishing news for money was the famous journalist Fatih Portakal.

Portakal made the social media post, in which he explained why he did not attend the newspaper's 100th-anniversary celebration, on his Twitter account, where he has over 9 million followers.

The veteran journalist stated that he considers the newspaper management responsible for the scandal to be 'tainted'.

I did not go to Cumhuriyet newspaper's 100th-anniversary celebration. Why would I attend the night of this irredeemable, and in my opinion, tainted management that publishes news for money and fires people for exposing it? Should I be complicit in their character? @cumhuriyetgzt I value the corporate name and history very much…

— fatih portakal (@fatihportakal) May 9, 2024

News Source: 12punto