Faruk Bildirici writes: How hard could it have been to investigate the jacuzzi?

Actually, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s campaign director Necati Özkan had first mentioned in Emin Çapa’s program on Halk TV that there was also a jacuzzi on the 6,000-square-meter “presidential floor” of Sancaktepe Municipality. Özkan’s remarks in the program aired on the evening of April 5 did not attract the attention of social media or the media, likely due to the lack of follow-up reporting.

However, Medyascope did report on its website about Özkan’s speech in Ruşen Çakır’s program, which aired on the afternoon of April 6. Özkan’s remarks regarding the “jacuzzi” and the “presidential floor” were not highlighted in the headline of Medyascope’s report.

But as far as I can see—if no one shared it and then deleted it in the meantime—Özkan’s words about the “jacuzzi” were shared shortly after the broadcast, first by journalist Kenan Başaran, citing the source. But the photo of the “jacuzzi”, which was later heavily debated, was used in a post by journalist Mehmet Andaç, and it was only after that that it spread. Although Andaç added a warning 25 minutes later that “The jacuzzi image is an archive image,” no one paid attention to it.

The Aykırı website posted the statement and the image, “It has been revealed that a jacuzzi was built on the presidential floor of Sancaktepe Municipality, which passed from the AKP to the CHP,” on X at exactly 21:00. Aykırı was followed by the Haberreport and Haber Aktif accounts.

Noticing this, Medyascope made a post about an hour later highlighting Özkan’s words: “I went to Sancaktepe Municipality to congratulate Alper Yeğin. The municipality’s presidential floor is 6,000 square meters. There are many lounge rooms, a jacuzzi, a dining room, and a 200-square-meter kitchen.”

Following these posts, social media erupted. The “jacuzzi” posts quickly moved to the top of X’s trending topics. News sites also published reports one after another. (By the way, I should note that Halktv.com.tr, which was unaware that Özkan had also made this claim in Emin Çapa’s program, based its “jacuzzi” report on Medyascope.)

Later that same evening, the former AKP mayor of Sancaktepe Municipality, Şeyma Döğücü, described the “jacuzzi” claim as slander and asked Necati Özkan to prove his allegation.

Özkan replied, “What I described as a ‘jacuzzi’ is a huge bathroom facility. Instead of stomping over a single word, tell us how you could commit this unimaginable waste.” This was actually a correction; because no matter how large it is, a “bathroom facility” cannot be called a “jacuzzi.”

While the bickering between the two sides continued, it also emerged that the jacuzzi photo circulating on X was taken from stock photo sites and was not real. Following this, numerous “jacuzzi lie” reports were published in the pro-government media. The Center for Combating Disinformation also intervened in the matter and shared a “jacuzzi rebuttal,” emphasizing that the jacuzzi photo in the news was a “representative jacuzzi image.”

A LESSON IN JOURNALISM

As a result, it was not confirmed that there was a “jacuzzi” on the municipality’s presidential floor. However, Özkan’s other remarks about the “presidential floor” being 6,000 square meters and a building of immense extravagance were not refuted. Indeed, the new CHP Mayor Alper Yeğin also made a statement: “(The previous Mayor (İsmail Erdem)) designed a luxury bathroom and a floor in a way that a mayor would not need. I will soon share with you a story of luxury and a bankrupt municipality where the jacuzzi issue will remain very insignificant.”

What remains from this “jacuzzi” incident are lessons in journalism. Let me say it immediately without beating around the bush: it was wrong to rely solely on what Özkan said while reporting his words.

The first thing a journalist hearing an astonishing claim like “6,000 square meters” and “jacuzzi” should do is not to immediately grab the keyboard, but to call the relevant parties to verify this claim and try to obtain footage of the “presidential floor.” This should not have been very difficult.

Since the report was made without research or investigation, following the approach that has become fashionable on the internet recently, and based only on Özkan’s words, these pieces of information should have been added and the reports corrected immediately, without waiting, once the rebuttals arrived.

CORRECTING AND UPDATING ERRORS IS MANDATORY

Unfortunately, even though days have passed, I still encounter “jacuzzi” reports that only contain Özkan’s words and do not include the statements of former mayors Şeyma Döğücü and İsmail Erdem.

For example, the reports by Cumhuriyet, “They lived in luxury in Sancaktepe Municipality, which was won by the CHP and managed by the AKP,” Artı Gerçek, “İmamoğlu’s campaign director described Sancaktepe Municipality: There is a jacuzzi,” T24, “It turns out there was a jacuzzi on the 6,000-square-meter presidential floor of Sancaktepe Municipality, which passed from the AKP to the CHP,” and Yeniçağ, “Jacuzzi claim from Sancaktepe Municipality presidential floor,” have still not been updated, and subsequent statements have not been added.

Even though “claim” and “he said/she said” journalism has become widespread in recent years, journalism is based on publishing verified information. Publishing a claim or statement that is within the means of journalism to check without verifying it, and sacrificing it to the speed of digitalization, damages the credibility of journalism.

Indeed, in the “jacuzzi” case, the massive waste confirmed to exist at the municipality was sacrificed for a jacuzzi that turned out to be unreal. The reputation of journalism, especially “opposition journalism,” has been damaged.