Targeted by MHP, Habertürk Chief Editor, Ankara Representative resign

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Editor-in-Chief of Habertürk TV Kürşad Oğuz and Ankara Representative of the channel Bülent Aydemir have resigned from office.

As reported by Medyaradar news website, Show TV Ankara Representative Sibel Demirci Erdem has been appointed as the Habertürk TV Ankara Representative following the resignations. With the merging of the Ankara Representative of Habertürk TV and that of Show TV, Fevzi Çakır has been appointed as the Deputy Ankara Representative of the two channels.

MHP's Yönder targeted the channel

The resignation of Oğuz and Aydemir came shortly after journalist Ebru 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 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!"

Aydemir called on MHP to apologize

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.

'How can you call on them 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."

Bahçeli: I don't watch Habertürk

MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli also tweeted #HabertürkTvİzlemiyorum (I don't watch Habertürk TV) yesterday (May 5).

#HabertürkTvİzlemiyorum

— Devlet Bahçeli (@dbdevletbahceli) May 5, 2021

(EKN/SD)