The Daily Telegraph deletes fabricated Erdogan story
British outlet pulls a report attributing inflammatory statements to the Turkish president after its own editor admitted the quotes were "old or completely fabricated."
The Daily Telegraph has removed an article that falsely attributed inflammatory statements to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after the paper's editor-in-chief acknowledged the quotes were "old or completely fabricated."
The article, published on Saturday April 12, claimed Erdogan had threatened to invade Israel, citing fabricated remarks allegedly made at a political event.
The report quoted the Turkish president as saying, "Just as we entered Libya and Karabakh, we can enter Israel", statements that were never made.
Telegraph editor-in-chief Paul Nuki issued a brief public statement acknowledging the error. "Hello, we have taken the story down. The quotes appear to be old or completely fabricated. Apologies," Nuki wrote on social media.
The issue has raised fresh questions about editorial standards at one of Britain's most established newspapers. The report was published amid renewed tensions in the Middle East following a fragile ceasefire, a period when misinformation about regional actors carries serious consequences.
A pattern of Western media outlets has been misrepresenting Türkiye's foreign policy positions and distorting statements by Turkish officials.
Ankara has repeatedly called on international media organisations to uphold basic journalistic standards when covering Turkish affairs, warning that fabricated or decontextualised reporting fuels anti-Türkiye sentiment and undermines diplomatic efforts in volatile regions.
The Telegraph has not issued a formal correction beyond Nuki's brief social media post.