Bugün’s Gültekin Avcı notes some differences between the Feb. 28 coup and other coups: First of all, Feb. 28 evolved in the laps of militarists who only seemed like civilians. Secondly, it was the coup where the media played the biggest role. And the so-called Feb. 28 process was greatly influential on the bureaucracy, universities and the judiciary. And finally, there were some civilian actors, such as fake religious figures Fadime Şahin and Ali Kalkancı, who played critical and theatrical roles. These differences rendered the Feb. 28 coup much more effective and successful in achieving its aims. Admitting that writing articles on anniversaries is difficult as almost everything has already been said, Star’s Ahmet Kekeç writes that there is still something that has not yet had enough emphasis put on it. It is the fact that the Feb. 28 coup was more than just a coup. “The Feb. 28 coup was more of a morality test for us all. Today, at a time when we seek those responsible for the Feb. 28 coup, we mention some names, and the higher the position those people hold, the more of an effect they have on us. Yet, it is not that simple. We have to talk about the media’s role in it. That was the time when people needed the media the most. They wanted to know what was going on and how they should evaluate the developments, and that was the time when the media most needed to be telling the truth. However, it is really sad that the media, in fact, became the most powerful and effective weapon of the perpetrators of the coup,” Kekeç says.
Taraf’s Yıldıray Oğur shares his memories of the Feb. 28 period: “Some weeks after a memorandum criticizing the government was issued on Feb. 28 on the Turkish Armed Forces’ [TSK] website, a TV show titled ‘32nd Day’ was going to film live at Middle East Technical University [ODTÜ], where I was studying at the time. Before the show, I went to talk with the host, Mehmet Ali Birand, and I asked him whether I could ask about the memorandum. I remember the worried smile on Birand’s face as he said, ‘Oh no, no need to ask that.’ I kept raising my hand during the show, but he ignored me as he knew what I was going to ask. The Feb. 28 coup is the worried expression on Birand’s face. Or it is the smile mixed with concern on then-Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan’s face as he saw then-Chief of General Staff İsmail Hakkı Karadayı off at his office door. Feb. 28 was this mixed expression on the faces of people who were aware of the approaching danger yet preferred to pretend not to see it instead of fighting it,” Oğur says.
