HATE SPEECH IN PRINT MEDIA IN TURKEY
'Media plays a role in the spread of hate speech'
July 24… This date, representing the abolition of censorship in the Ottoman Empire in 1908, was celebrated as Press Day in Turkey from 1948 to 1971. Since 1971, it has been commemorated as the Day of Struggle for Press Freedom.
July 24 is a critical opportunity to emphasize the importance of press freedom and support freedom of expression. However, using freedom of press and expression to produce or spread hate speech is a threat to social peace.
IPS Communication Foundation/bianet, under the “Early Warning System in the Fight Against Fake News and Hate Speech” (SAHNE) project by the Turkey Europe Foundation, prepared a report titled “Hate Speech in the Turkish Written Press.”
The report, written by Yasemin Korkmaz, exemplifies the importance of combating hate speech in the media. It analyzes hate speech in national and local newspapers in Turkey between November 2023 and March 2024.
bianet's approach to articles containing hate speech
Additionally, journalist Semra Kardeşoğlu rewrote five pieces selected by the project advisory board from the analyzed articles in different themes to promote good journalism.
This text, edited by Vecih Cuzdan, the Managing Editor of bianet, and titled “How Would bianet Report It?”, continues the “Hate Speech in the Turkish Written Press” report. The news articles are written with a rights-based approach and a peace language perspective, free of sexist language.
Methodology
During this four-month period, a total of 80 issues from five local (Mersin Newspaper - Mersin, Olay Newspaper - Bursa, Günebakış - Trabzon, Yeni Asır - İzmir, Gazete Ekspres –Antep) and five national (Yeni Şafak, Sabah, Sözcü, Karar, Yeni Yaşam) newspapers were reviewed.
In the newspaper review, keywords were used to identify hate speech targeting national, ethnic, religious identities, immigrants and refugees, and LGBTI+s. The keyword list included the most targeted identities in Turkey, as well as insults and derogatory expressions associated with these identities:
“Afghan, Alevi, Arab, Atheist, Headscarf, Western, Gypsy, Armenian, Yazidi, Non-Muslim, Infidel, Reactionary, Immigrant, Crusader, Traitor, Christian, Islam, Infidel, Kurd, Liberation, Refugee, Jew, Muslim, Pakistani, Greek, Roma, Genocide, Syrian, Shiite, Turk, Enemy of Turks, Jew, Yazid, Bigot, Gay, Lesbian, Transvestite, Transsexual, Homosexual, LGBTI, LGBTI+, Deviant, Pedophile, Pervert, Fag, Woman, girl, lady, miss, mother, grandmother, harassment, rape, assault, violence against women, abuse, frenzy, femicide, husband, wife.”
The report identified 66 news articles containing the selected keywords as subjects of bianet’s research. Among these 66 articles, 21 were found to produce hate speech.
In these 21 articles, LGBTI+s and refugees were each the subject of hate speech five times, Jews four times, Greek Cypriots three times, Greeks, Arabs, and Russians twice, and Armenians once.
For example, Jews were subjects of hate speech in the context of the Israel-Hamas War, while Greek Cypriots and Greeks were subjects on the anniversary of the 1974 Cyprus Operation.
LGBTI+s and refugees, who are frequently targeted in Turkey through repetitive narratives.
Impact of the local press is more pronounced
Half of the news articles identified as containing hate speech are from the national press, while the other half are from the local press.
For comparison, while local press can directly interact with readers and have a significant impact on their community, national press articles have a broader reach and can influence a larger audience.
Therefore, because the local press establishes a closer relationship with its readers, the impact of the discourse it produces can be more pronounced on its audience. On the other hand, the national press, by reaching a much larger number of people, plays a role in the widespread impact of hate speech.
Media should bear responsibility
According to the report, the role of the media in the production of hate speech is critical. The analyzed articles frequently use the same methods in producing hate speech.
In particular, in news articles covering historical narratives, the lack of clear identification of the parties involved in the events and the generalization of a group’s actions to their identity reinforce prejudices against the identities targeted with hate speech.
Despite various incidents and actions being unrelated to individuals' identities, associating these identities with crime and using negative adjectives fuels societal polarization.
The report explains that to avoid producing hate speech, it is necessary to directly identify the responsible parties in events and avoid generalizing an event or action to an identity:
We emphasize that the language used in the media is not independent of social life, and that discriminatory language in the media further increases polarization in society, thus carrying a great responsibility. We hope this study raises awareness of the media’s role in producing discriminatory discourse and contributes to the spread of a rights-based news language.
Examples of hate speech-producing articles and bianet journalism
The report also includes examples of articles that produce hate speech. Additionally, these articles were rewritten by Bianet without containing hate speech. Some examples, which you can find in full in the report, are as follows:
Olay Newspaper - Bursa, January 1, 2024
Original Article: I Didn’t Strangle Her, I Kissed Her
Original Article Content: In Bursa, Syrian Y.A.M.A., who was on trial for allegedly strangling to death 5-month pregnant N.M.T., with whom he lived in a religious marriage, explained the bruises on her neck by saying, “It could have been from kissing her.”
The rewritten article
Defense Draws Criticism in Trial for “Murdering Wife”
Y.A.M.A., who is on trial for the premeditated murder of his five-month-pregnant wife N.M.T. and faces a life sentence, made a defense in court that sparked criticism.
The first hearing of the case, where Y.A.M.A. is being held in custody, was held yesterday (December 31, 2023) at the 4th Heavy Penal Court of Bursa Courthouse. The defendant denied the accusations in his defense.
When the judge asked, “The forensic report states that the marks on N.M.T.'s neck were caused by strangulation. Who did it then?” Y.A.M.A. replied, “It could be from kissing her.” N.M.T.'s family, representatives of women's organizations following the case, and lawyers reacted to the defendant.
Sema Doğan, a lawyer from the Women’s Rights Association, who is following the case, said, “As in every femicide case, the defendant is almost mocking the court. The sentences given encourage female murderers.”
What Happened?
According to the indictment prepared by the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, Y.A.M.A. strangled and killed his religiously wedded wife N.M.T., who was five months pregnant, in July 2023 in Yıldırım, Bursa. The indictment stated that Y.A.M.A. “committed the crime by strangling and killing N.M.T., knowing she was pregnant.”
- According to bianet's Male Violence Monitor, 330 men killed 333 women in 2023.
Sözcü, January 1, 2024
Original Article: If the Teams Had Arrived, There Would Have Been a Fight
A much larger crisis was narrowly averted during the Super Cup debacle in Saudi Arabia. The crisis surfaced when Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç revealed that local authorities had not allowed a banner reading "Peace at home, peace in the world." The situation escalated dramatically with the arrogant attitudes of Saudi officials. The Arabs stormed into Fenerbahçe’s locker room and confiscated the yellow-blue team’s banner. They then tried to enter Galatasaray’s locker room.
“You Can't Enter” But...
TFF employees and Galatasaray officials said, “No way, you can’t enter.” Then, diplomacy began. A Saudi official, speaking on behalf of the Royalty, said, “Either Galatasaray brings the banner, or we’ll forcibly enter and take it,” causing the situation to escalate. To prevent a possible scandal, the Yellow-Reds handed over the banner. An experienced TFF staff member, foreseeing the crisis, sent a message to the team hotels: “Do not send the teams. The Arabs are looking to start a fight…”
They Gathered Soldiers in the T Area
The person speaking on behalf of the Royalty lined up Arab soldiers in the “T Area” (an area in stadiums with special permission to enter, where teams and referees’ locker rooms are located). He ordered, “When the teams arrive, we will search them. If we see any Atatürk or centennial logos, they cannot enter the field.” This meant that everyone, including the players, would be searched. In such a scenario, a clash between the players, team private security, TFF employees, and Arab security forces would have been inevitable. The message to the teams “Do not come” prevented the scandal from turning into an international crisis. At the same time, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe overturned the table and broke the game, declaring, “If there’s no Atatürk, we’re not here either.”
The rewritten article
Fenerbahçe Official Discusses “Atatürk Banner Crisis” in Super Cup
A Fenerbahçe Club official spoke to our newspaper about the banner tension in Saudi Arabia, stating, “A warning from a Turkish Football Federation (TFF) official to the teams to ‘stay in the hotel’ prevented the crisis from escalating.”
The Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was canceled due to the teams’ request to enter the field with banners and T-shirts of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
A Fenerbahçe Club official explained the cancellation to our newspaper:
"Local authorities did not allow Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç’s banner saying ‘Peace at Home, Peace in the World.’ Officials from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sports did not approach the problem constructively. They came to the Fenerbahçe dressing room without any permission and took the banner. We later learned that they also attempted to enter the Galatasaray dressing room. TFF staff and Galatasaray officials did not allow it."
Message from the Royalty to the Teams
The official described the meetings between TFF officials and Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sports officials:
"A person claiming to be speaking on behalf of the royalty approached us and said, ‘Either Galatasaray brings the banner, or we will enter and take it by force.’ Thereafter there was a short-lived tension. To prevent the tension from escalating, Galatasaray officials handed over the banner. At this point, a TFF staff member sent a message to both teams’ hotels, saying, ‘Do not send the teams to the stadium to prevent further tension.’ This message prevented the situation from escalating into an international crisis."
How Was the Crisis Averted?
The same official shared how the events concluded:
"Following the orders of the person claiming to speak on behalf of the royalty, military personnel positioned themselves in front of the T zone at the stadium. The T zone is an area with special access permissions according to international football rules and contains the changing rooms of team players, officials, and referees. The official instructed the military personnel to search the teams upon arrival and prevent them from entering the field if they saw Atatürk or the 100th-anniversary logo. The message from the TFF official to the players and officials at the hotel to 'stay away' prevented the situation from escalating into an international crisis. Around the same time, together with Galatasaray officials, we decided not to participate in the match, stating, 'If Atatürk is not present, neither are we.'"
*The original news lacked sources; to rewrite the news, we added a fictional news source. We called
a fictional Fenerbahçe Club official who was present during the events and included information
based on their statements
Gazete Ekspres - Antep, March 1, 2024
Original Article: “We Will Protect Our Cities and Generations from the Drug Plague”
Fatih Erbakan, Chairman of the Yeniden Refah Party, said, “With projects for the therapy and rehabilitation of those addicted to drugs, we will protect our cities and generations from the drug plague. We will never allow the LGBT perversion, a major project of foreign powers and the scourge of the century, to take root in the lands where this nation has carried the banner of Islam for a thousand years. We will not permit the propaganda and events of LGBT organizations in the halls, stages, buildings, establishments, institutions, and billboards of our municipalities.”
Visiting Kocaeli, Fatih Erbakan, Chairman of the Yeniden Refah Party, first met with citizens on İzmit Walkway. Erbakan then introduced the mayors of Kocaeli at a meeting. In his speech at the meeting, Erbakan said, “In six months, we increased our membership from 265,000 to 453,000. What does this mean? It means that a political party growing by 80% in six months, increasing from 265,000 to 453,000, is unprecedented. In the last month alone, we recorded an increase of 49,000 members. We have reached a point where we can record in one month the number of members that many wealthy and influential parties have recorded over years. Fifty thousand members in one month means 600,000 members a year. We will continue at this pace and speed. We will enter the March 31 elections with over 500,000 members and reach our goal of 1 million members within a few months.”
“We Will Become Turkey’s Second Largest Political Party with 1.5 Million Members”
Stating that the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has 480,000 members, Erbakan said, “The MHP is a 50-year-old political party. We have now reached 453,000, and with this pace, we will surpass the MHP and the Good Party, which has 500,000 members, by the time of the elections. We will enter the elections as Turkey’s third-largest party in terms of membership. If we continue at this pace, we will surpass the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which has 1.4 million members. By March 31, we will have exceeded 500,000 members. We will close the gap within a year and become Turkey’s second-largest political party with 1.5 million members. As long as this light shines in the eyes of our organizations and this passion for our cause remains in their hearts, none of these goals are unattainable. On March 31, we will make Yeniden Refah the ruling party in local administrations and in the central government in 2028. If Yeniden Refah receives 20% of the votes on March 31, no one can stop it from becoming the ruling party in 2028.”
“We Will Close 17 LGBT Associations Immediately After Taking Office”
Touching on the issues of drugs and LGBT, Erbakan said, “Moral municipalities will protect our generations and cities against drug and LGBT attacks. Necessary measures will be taken to prevent drug addiction, and with projects for the therapy and rehabilitation of those addicted to drugs, we will protect our cities and generations from the drug plague. We will never allow the LGBT perversion, a major project of foreign powers and the scourge of the century, to take root in the lands where this nation has carried the banner of Islam for a thousand years. We will not permit the propaganda and events of LGBT organizations in the halls, stages, buildings, establishments, institutions, and billboards of our municipalities. Inshallah, in the 2028 Yeniden Refah administration, we will immediately close the 17 LGBT associations established since 2004.”
The rewritten article
Fatih Erbakan Targets LGBTI+ Community
Fatih Erbakan, leader of the New Welfare Party, claimed that LGBTI+ people are a “foreign project” and stated that they would close their organizations if they came to power.
Fatih Erbakan, leader of the New Welfare Party, met with citizens in İzmit, Kocaeli, during his local election campaign, and later attended a promotional meeting for mayoral candidates.
In his speech, Erbakan targeted LGBTI+ people, stating, “Moral municipalities will protect our generations and cities from drug and LGBT attacks.” He claimed that LGBTI+ people are a “foreign project.”
Erbakan also said, “We will never allow [LGBTI+] propaganda or events to be held in the halls, stages, buildings, institutions, and billboards for their propaganda and activities.” He added that they will close LGBTI+ organizations if they came to power in the 2028 general elections.
Human Rights Association Filed a Criminal Complaint
The Human Rights Association (İHD) LGBTI+ Rights Commission filed a criminal complaint with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the New Welfare Party’s video titled “Where There is No Morality, There is LGBTI+,” published on January 24, 2024, which contained discriminatory remarks against LGBTI+.
İHD, highlighting the hate speech of Fatih Erbakan and the New Welfare Party, stated in its complaint that their statements violate Article 122 of the Turkish Penal Code and Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibit discrimination:
“The statements of the party leader and officials contain continuous discriminatory remarks. These statements, which create discrimination within society, pose an imminent threat."
(HA/VK)