Do the media serve terror’s cause with extensive coverage?

Over the past several days, the pages of Turkish newspapers have been filled with photos and heartbreaking stories of the soldiers and civilians killed in attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has escalated its violent activities and carried out more fatal attacks across the nation over the past two months. Victims’ families have been shown mid-devastation in newspapers and on TV, which also cover the activities of the terrorist organization minute-by-minute through breaking news.

Only this week, the nation was shaken by the news of several PKK attacks. On June 19, PKK terrorists attacked an army border unit in Şemdinli, Hakkari province.

Nine soldiers were killed and 14 were wounded in the attack. Two other soldiers were later killed by a land mine in the area. On Tuesday, five people including the daughter of an army officer were killed in İstanbul by a roadside bomb targeting a civilian bus transporting military personnel within the city. On Friday, another PKK attack in the eastern province of Elazığ left two soldiers dead and one soldier and four civilians injured.

Media Association President Salih Memecan said the media should always think about whether its reports of terror activities benefit the terror organizations when it covers such news.

He said there was a need to make careful decisions with regard to the coverage of acts of terror in order to prevent confusion when such incidents occur.

Showing the Western media as an example, noting that the photos and funerals of killed soldiers are never published or broadcast in Western papers or on Western television programs, Memecan said, “The Turkish media should also set some principles to ensure this.”

State officials have given constant warnings to the media throughout the week to be careful in their coverage of terror cases, warning that they may be unintentionally helping the terrorist organization.

Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized the media, accusing them of furthering the public relations agenda of the terrorist organization. “Who do the media serve when they show the tearful mothers of the martyrs? Either intentionally or unintentionally, the media are acting as if they are supporters of the organization,” Erdoğan lamented.

Another such warning came from Interior Minister Beşir Atalay following the end of the Media Sensitivity Consultation Meeting held in İstanbul on Wednesday. He said: “The more effective and saddening a news story, and the longer an act of terrorism is reported, the more propaganda of the terrorist organization is spread by the media. TV stations and newspapers should keep the goal of the terrorist organization in mind when determining the depth and scope of their coverage of terrorism.”

Sabah daily news ombudsman Yavuz Baydar suggested that the funeral ceremonies of soldiers should be given the least coverage possible, as these ceremonies are generally attended by people with political agendas.

Funerals of soldiers frequently become a venue to condemn the government in Turkey. Opponents of the government who attend the ceremonies chant slogans against the government and hold it responsible for the deaths of soldiers in a way that runs contrary to Turkish tradition, where funerals are held silently as a show of respect for the dead.

“A funeral ceremony should be a private family affair. I do not say this only for the funerals of soldiers killed in terrorist attacks but also for the funerals of Kurds killed. It is necessary to respect this privacy and not carry news of funeral on the first pages of the newspapers,” he added.

Pointing to the psychological conditioning caused by the frequent coverage of terror cases, journalist Canan Barlas said: “We are seeing some bad days, but the media make us feel as though we are in the midst of a civil war. If the media did not make us feel this way, perhaps there would be fewer crises. Unfortunately, this is not the case.”

Praising the attitude of the Western media when covering violence, she said: “Two buildings fell on Sept. 11, 2001. So many people were killed, but how many corpses did we see, how many shattered families did we watch mourn their loved ones? None.”

Confidence in journalism shaken

Cutting to breaking news that leads to panic and desperation among the public is an example of irresponsible journalism, Baydar noted.

“Breaking news, which is aired without editorial supervision most of the time, includes incorrect or missing information. When this news, which is broadcast repeatedly, turns out to be false, this shakes the confidence of the TV audience in television journalism, particularly in breaking news. The constant coverage of breaking news leads to fear and panic among the nation,” said Baydar.

According to the 13th article of the Code of Professional Ethics of the Press (as stated by the Turkish Press Council), the publication of material that is conducive to violence and use of force and/or offensive to human values shall be avoided.

Star daily columnist Ergun Babahan complained that there was a “disease” in breaking news journalism in Turkey while pointing to the many errors in the coverage of news through breaking news banners throughout the day.

“There is a disease of breaking news in Turkey. News channels lower the quality of journalism here for the sake of getting more ratings,” said Babahan.

ATV channel head Erdoğan Aktaş disagreed with the other journalists and said there are missing points even in the news segments on which journalists or editors work for some time.

“I do not think TV channels give breaking news or missing and incorrect information solely to stir the masses,” he said.

Selecting appropriate language

Journalist Aydın Engin focused on the importance of the media using appropriate language while covering news of terror attacks and the importance of avoiding provocative language.

“The media’s duty is to inform people, but it should be careful about not using provocative language while doing this,” he said.

Criticizing the way some media organs cover terror news with headlines such as “Heinous ambush, PKK massacres people again,” he said such language is only a provocation of war.

“The media should report breaking news, but it should be careful not to manipulate people,” he warned. Listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and the United States, the PKK has been waging a bloody war in Turkey’s Southeast since 1984. More than 40,000 civilians and security forces have been killed in PKK-government clashes so far. Turkey is currently discussing ways to curb PKK terrorism through the expansion of cultural and political rights for the country’s Kurds.