Türkiye: Reuters report on Turkish media misleading, fake news

Türkiye's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun has dismissed as "fake news" a Reuters report that claimed the country's media houses are controlled.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, he stressed that Ankara has over the past few years combatted "disinformation campaigns targeting Türkiye", built resilience against such attempts and "created an atmosphere of transparency".

Altun’s remarks came after Reuters published a story on Türkiye, targeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.

"We are committed to serving Türkiye under President Erdogan’s leadership for many more years," he said, pointing out that this was not the first time that Reuters had published a misleading article.

In a scathing rebuttal, Altun called the news agency an "apparatus of perception operations and systematic manipulation".

"Reuters spread disinformation against Türkiye at the height of Daesh’s terror campaign, while our nation was mercilessly cracking down on that organisation," he said in one of his tweets.

He said Reuters also distorted statements made by Erdogan as Türkiye was taking preliminary steps toward adopting the presidential system of government – and "ended up having to correct" them.

"Türkiye defends the Truth from a system characterised by occupation, military coups, and civil wars, and nurtures terrorist organisation—all thanks to your operational reporting—not just in Türkiye but also in various parts of the world," Altun tweeted.

"It is our understanding that the economic crisis in Europe hurts your organisation together with the UK. It seems that you opt to report from behind your desks because it is cheaper and easier," he said in his message to Reuters, which is headquartered in the UK.

Altun reminded Reuters of the true essence of journalism, asking it to report the facts alone. 

The misleading Reuters report claims the mainstream Turkish media has succumbed to government pressure and publishing or broadcasting news approved by officials.