Soylu’s immunity move has no news value!

You might think that a request to 'lift my immunity' from a former Interior Minister, whose name has been linked to many dark allegations, would be news anywhere in the world. But not in Turkey, where the media, considered the '5th estate of democracies,' has largely fallen into the orbit of the government.

Former Interior Minister and current AKP Istanbul MP Süleyman Soylu filed an application yesterday to have his parliamentary immunity lifted. In his petition submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), Soylu stated, "Although there is no summary of proceedings (fezleke) against me in the TBMM regarding any matter during my term, CHP chairmen and spokespersons have repeatedly claimed on various dates that I am protected by hiding behind the shield of immunity, thereby knowingly misleading the public with baseless smears and slanders."

Speaking to Halk TV after announcing this petition, Soylu said regarding his request, "I never spoke with a hidden agenda; I wrote it very clearly," and added, "This is a clear petition, a clear application. There is no time limit. It means I am open to whatever information or documents they bring whenever they want. We did not find our honor on the street."

The opposition media generally interpreted this move as a 'bluff' and a 'defiance of Erdoğan.' But what about the rest of the media?

TÜRKGÜN AND TÜRKİYE GAZETESİ ARE EXCEPTIONS

Soylu’s immunity request was not reported in the newspapers Sabah, Hürriyet, Yeni Şafak, Akşam, Milliyet, Posta, and Takvim. Moreover, this situation is not limited to the print press. Soylu’s move was not reported on the websites of these outlets either. In fact, the date of the last news item about Soylu on the website of Sabah, the flagship newspaper of the pro-government press, is almost months old.

So, are there no exceptions? There are.

Türkiye newspaper was an exception. The newspaper drew attention by using the headline 'Defiance' for the story, which it featured as a boxed item at the bottom of its front page.

Like Türkiye newspaper, Akit newspaper also announced the news on its front page, albeit in a small space, using the headline 'Challenge from Soylu.'

IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE OPPOSITION MEDIA...

The media outlets that attributed news value to this immunity move were the opposition media, with whom Soylu has been in a constant feud since the beginning.

While reporting the news, Cumhuriyet newspaper reminded readers that just before submitting this petition, Soylu had used the words, "You scoundrels who assassinate character... Your revenge and slanders have not ended for years... Cumhuriyet newspaper! You are cowards if you do not prove my alleged baron status."

BirGün newspaper announced the news as the second headline on its front page. Emphasizing that the request to lift immunity has no legal standing, the newspaper asked, "Who did Soylu threaten?"

A NEW PETITION PROPOSAL CAME

Journalist Deniz Zeyrek, who commented on the agenda on SözcüTV, made a similar comment regarding the news and offered a noteworthy suggestion to Soylu:

Evaluating Soylu’s request to have his immunity lifted after Parliament had closed as a 'show,' Zeyrek said, 'You file a petition with the prosecutor's office to have immunity lifted, not with Parliament. Doesn’t Süleyman Soylu know this?'

Zeyrek continued his speech by saying: 'He should file a petition for an investigation to be opened regarding the meeting held just before Sezgin Baran Korkmaz left Turkey. A mafia leader told a lot of things, and they chose to silence the man. None of those allegations were investigated. He should file a petition with the prosecutor's office regarding those allegations.'