How did Newspapers Cover Fatal Train Collision in Ankara?

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We have reviewed how 18 daily newspapers covered yesterday's (December 13) train collision which left nine people killed and 86 wounded in Ankara.

10 newspapers covered the story on their headlines. Eight of them put the second 100-day program, which President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced, and the possible military operation by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) into Syria on their headlines.

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'Like sabotage'

All of the newspapers which are not pro-government, except for Yeni Çağ, put the story into their headlines. Yeni Çağ opted for the possible intervention in Syria, with the headline "Terrorist Organization in Panic".

Two of the pro-government newspapers suggested that the collision may have happened because of sabotage. Türkiye newspaper said "Too Much for Negligence: Three Reasons for a Possible Sabotage", while the Akit said "Negligence Just Like Sabotage!"

The newspapers covered the story on their headlines are; Hürriyet, Posta, Cumhuriyet, Sözcü, BirGün, Evrensel, Yeni Yaşam, Takvim, Türkiye, Karar.

Hürriyet: The newspaper put the story into its headline, saying "Signal Tragedy". The paper mentioned claims about the lacking of a proper signalization system as the cause of the collision.

Birgün: The newspaper said "This is Called Homicide" in a banner headline and "One more ring to the chain of massacres in the AKP era. Those who rule refrained from taking responsibility" in its strapline.

Cumhuriyet: The paper said "Price of the Show: Incompetent executives and the rushed grand openings before elections again caused a tragedy."

Evrensel: Another newspaper critical of the government said "High Speed Train, Primitive Organization."

The newspaper mentioned that the Kolin, a construction company close to the government, did not build the signalization system despite its obligation.

Karar: The newspaper critically said "System Absent, Tragedy Present", referring to the lacking of the signalization system that reportedly caused the collision. Karar also said "The government failed. Neither the Minister nor the Governor made a clear statement for hours."

Posta: It covered the story on its headline, with title "Head to Head."

Yeni Yaşam: The newspaper also said "This is Called Murder".

Sözcü: The newspaper covered the story with the title "Head to Head Tragedy: 9 killed".

Takvim: The pro-government media outlet said "Bad Signal" in its headline, blaming the lacking of the signalization system.

Türkiye: The newspaper said "Too Much for Negligence: Three Reasons for a Possible Sabotage"

Akşam, Akit, Güneş, Milliyet, Sabah, Star, Yeni Şafak and Yeni Çağ did not cover the story on their headlines:

Akşam: The paper, which has a similar editorial policy to Takvim, covered the incident on a small space at the bottom of its first page, with the title "3-Minute High Speed Train Tragedy".

Akit: The newspaper said "Negligence Just Like Sabotage!"

Güneş: Similar to Akşam, the newspaper covered the story at the bottom of its first page, saying "Disastrous Accident on the Rail".

Milliyet: Another pro-government outlet which did not cover the story on its headline, said "Manual Line Disaster", referring to the signalization issue as others papers did.

Sabah: The newspaper of the Turkuvaz Media Group, covered the story on its subheading, with the title "False Signal Tragedy". The paper's headline was about the second 100-day program that Erdoğan announced yesterday.

Star: Similar to some of the other pro-government papers, Star put Erdoğan's announcement on its headline and the collision and put the story on collision at the bottom of its first page, saying "One-Way Tragedy".

Yeni Şafak: The pro-government daily said in its headline that "PKK will be Hit on All Fronts" and "Negligence Costed 9 Lives" regarding the collision.

Yeni Çağ: The newspaper opted for the possible intervention in Syria, with the headline "Terrorist Organization in Panic". (EKN/VK)