‘Politicians’ targeting of journalists is the ugly face of politics’

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The Press Council has released a statement about the Habertürk TV journalists who were targeted by the government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) executives, primarily by MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli.

Referring to the verbal attack of MHP Vice Chair İzzet Ulvi Yönter on Ebru Baki, presenting the "Para Gündem" (Money Agenda) program on Habertürk TV news channel, the Council has condemned the recent developments in its statement. The Council has briefly said:

"The MHP Vice Chair's verbal attack on journalist Ebru Baki and her team is yet another zeal for 'bringing the press into line'. It is completely against democratic reflexes that MHP's İzzet Yönder, after the broadcast of Habertürk TV, showed his intolerance for critical viewpoints, defined it as 'impertinence, mediocrity and misbehaviour' and targeted successful journalists. Politicians' targeting of journalists is the ugly face of politics.

"It is unacceptable that some politicians who are far from tolerance, press freedom and ethical principles carry out such attacks, which are also against common decency, that they target journalists by insulting their guests on TV and that they prevent them from doing their jobs.

"We vehemently condemn the behavior of those who have got into the habit of attacking press members by calling them 'so-called journalists'."

What happened?

On May 5, 2021, Habertürk TV news channel's Ankara Representative Bülent Aydemir was dismissed, Habertürk Editor-in-Chief Kürşad Oğuz resigned and the "Para Gündem" (Money Agenda) program presented by Ebru Baki discontinued broadcasting.

The decision came shortly after journalist Baki was targeted by government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Vice Chair İzzet Ulvi Yönter following a live broadcast where Baki discussed the new draft constitution of the party during "Para Gündem" on Habertürk.

Referring to Ebru Baki as "evil-minded", Yönter defined it as "impertinence and misbehaviour" that "Kemal Öztürk, Pınar Kandemir Hacıbektaşoğlu and Gülfem Saydan Sanver, the guests of Ebru Baki, attempted to defame the MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli 100-article draft constitution."

"What? Is it too much to handle? Are you mad, right," asked MHP Vice Chair Yönter further, briefly adding the following: "Ebru Baki is a so-called journalist who reveals her intolerance for the MHP at every turn and distorts the truths with her wry smile... It is an utter rot that she chose her guests among the enemies of the MHP... As they could not clear the ball today, they preferred being obnoxious and dirty. Shame on you!"

As reported by Medyaradar, Habertürk Ankara Representative Bülent Aydemir protested the tweets of MHP Vice Chair İzzet Ulvi Yönter about Ebru Baki. "Returning his words" to Yönter, Aydemir called on both MHP Vice Chair Yönter and MHP Chair Bahçeli to apologize.

İsmail Özdemir, the MHP Vice Chair Responsible for Media, Publicity and Public Relations, shared a message on social media in response.

Arguing that the remarks uttered during the program presented by Ebru Baki "exceeded the limits of criticism and turned into a smear campaign directly run against the MHP", Özdemir also targeted Habertürk Ankara Representative Bülent Aydemir, who criticized the targeting remarks of MHP Vice Chair İzzet Ulvi Yönter in a program on Habertürk TV.

MHP Vice Chair Özdemir claimed that "Aydemir's attitude showed how low the professional ethics of journalism has sunk."

Noting that "the reaction of MHP Vice Chair Yönter is the reaction of the MHP", he said, "What will you do now? Who are you? How dare you call the MHP and our Dear Party Chair to apologize." He also said that "they, as the MHP, were expecting an answer from the Habertürk group."

Concluding his remarks, Özdemir stated that "in the face of these developments that they condemn, the MHP was expecting an apology."

MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli also tweeted #HabertürkTvİzlemiyorum (I don't watch Habertürk TV) the other day (May 5). (HA/SD)