Şule Aydın reacts sharply to Fatih Portakal’s comments on ‘detentions’

Portakal’s comments, made during a live broadcast while the three journalists were being detained, drew backlash. 

Portakal said the following on air:

"Was what Barış Pehlivan did right? No, it wasn't! Barış may be a very good journalist, but he should let those around him listen to the conversation he had with that expert witness. And even the fact that the person said, 'I don't want to appear on Halk TV, I don't want it to be broadcast,' and even when they were being listened to openly, asking for their address, and then—I don't know what kind of editorial desk they have—but if you are broadcasting this despite the statement of a person who does not want it, this is a mistake, it is wrong, you should not be doing it.

As an experienced journalist like you, and as someone living in Turkey and practicing journalism in a country like Turkey, you need to practice journalism while knowing the conditions of Turkey. First and foremost, you should not be doing it from a journalistic standpoint. I can criticize Barış in this regard, and I believe I have the right to criticize. He shouldn't have done it, and he shared it on the X channel today. Is the detention correct? He shouldn't have been detained in this way. You summon them, and they go and give their statement. Is this a show? Yes, it is a bit of a show, meaning as far as we can see, the Police units are saying, 'Look, we are taking them in, we are taking them in again!'

He should let those around him listen to the conversation he had with the expert witness, and even the fact that the person said, 'I don't want to appear on Halk TV, I don't want it to be broadcast,' and even when they were being listened to openly, asking for their address, and then—I don't know what kind of editorial desk they have—but if you are broadcasting this despite the statement of a person who does not want it, this is a mistake, it is wrong, you should not be doing it."

“SINCE WHEN IS IT TALKED ABOUT LIKE THIS?”

Barış Pehlivan's program colleague, Şule Aydın, also lashed out at Fatih Portakal's comments. Aydın said the following:

“There is a decorum to saying things; what you say and when you say it is important. Since when is it talked about like this while journalists are being detained? Let's look back at history; who has spoken like this while journalists were being detained? Fatih Portakal gave a long lecture on journalism from the screen. Fatih Portakal, when you first faced the stick of the government, we were by your side then, too. You withdrew from the screen at the first sign of the stick; Barış Pehlivan, whose journalism you are now questioning when he is detained, was doing journalism back then, too, and he was going to prison because of the journalism he did. When you lecture us on journalistic ethics, look at your own journalism first. But you are not at that point. You cannot say these things to a journalist on the day they are detained. Everything has a decorum.”

News Source: 12punto