The popular defeat of an attempted coup in Turkey is a victory for democracy, yet mainstream western media coverage was biased at best
The failed coup attempt in Turkey over the weekend impressively demonstrated the victory of people power and democratic will over the machinations of the armed forces. Yet it is difficult to understand why major media outlets in the west avoided any mention of this important aspect of the event as the crisis unfolded, preferring instead to highlight deep divisions in Turkish society and the authoritarianism of its president.
Democracy is the backbone of a free society and replacing a democratically elected government by a military dictatorship cannot be an acceptable alternative. The present Turkish government, despite its shortcomings, is democratically elected. Some sections of the military tried to overthrow the government, and, with it, the people’s right to choose a government. It is a testament to the immense bravery shown by the Turkish people, who came out against the attempted coup, that a major disaster has been averted in a country at the centre of key affairs in world politics. Yet, observing the reportage of leading western media outlets, and the reaction (or lack of) from key western governments, does not reflect this reality.
The role of western governments in supporting and opposing military or civilian dictatorships in the world is extremely questionable. The way the so-called champions of democracy supported General Sisi, who overthrew the first democratically elected Egyptian president in living memory through a coup, is the perfect example of how western superpowers decide which regime to support and which to overthrow according to their vested interests. Unsurprisingly, western governments, such as the US and the UK, remained silent when events in Turkey began to unfold. It would not be until the success of the coup came into question several hours later that statements from western authorities in support of the elected government and Turkish democracy began to pour in. Just two months ago our own foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, won the ‘most offensive Erdogan poem competition’, so it is hardly surprising that there was no immediate support from our government for the democracy in Turkey. Did they want to see whether the coup attempt was successful so that they would extend their support towards an acquiescent military dictator, rather than working with an elected leadership that does not hesitate to speak up against western double standards?
Meanwhile, reputable mainstream media outlets like BBC, CNN and Sky News are expected to show a minimum level of neutrality in their reportage. Yet, following their live coverage of the attempted coup revealed that they rather found it the best opportunity to criticise the leadership of Turkey. There was little effort from all three channels to inform their audiences of the latest updates of a very fluid situation. This discrepancy in reporting was thrown into particular relief when comparing with the live coverage broadcast on Al Jazeera, who were constantly updating the news bulletin with the fast-changing developments in Turkey. When Al Jazeera was reporting the coup plotters’ failure to keep hold of the state television station TRT, the BBC and Sky News continued to report that the coupists had declared the takeover of the country and TRT was under their control. CNN went one step further, broadcasting in bold the headline ‘Martial Law in Turkey’. Long after Al Jazeera reported the retreat of soldiers from Istanbul airport, these channels continued broadcasting anti-Erdogan rhetoric by different commentators, rather than reporting these crucial updates. Al Jazeera interviewed one Turkish leader after another, including former President Abdullah Gul and former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, but the other three channels continued their commentaries against Erdogan. Indeed they even suggested that there was every possibility the coup would be successful because the president only had access to ‘FaceTime’ to address the nation.
What these outlets failed to acknowledge and report, due to their seemingly blind opposition to the Turkish leadership, is that the president is popular in his country and won his seat by popular vote. Turks came out on the streets in large numbers very late at night after being asked to do so by their leader, protesting peacefully and fearlessly in the face of tanks. Crucially, while the three big media outlets continued their running commentary on Erdogan’s failings and unpopularity among sections of Turkish society, they failed to broadcast that these very opponents, including Turkish opposition leaders, also strongly came out against the coup.
In a country that suffered for years under military dictatorship, Turks knew what was at stake and, in an impressive united movement, rejected the coup that was attempting to destabilise their hard fought democracy. Nonetheless, even when it was clear that the coup had failed, the three leading channels continued commenting on how ‘deeply divided’ the country was rather than admitting that the whole country was united against the coup plotters, and an extraordinary display of people power had saved their democracy. The unity of the otherwise deeply divided political parties showed in the extraordinary parliament session on Saturday exemplified the unity of the nation, but that aspect was hardly reported on.
The BBC’s Middle East editor, Jeremy Bowen, commented that President Erdogan is a ‘political Islamist who has rejected modern Turkey’s secular heritage’. This narrative has been the overwhelming theme in the coverage of most western media outlets. This continued on Sunday morning’s political coverage where the only concern showed by the BBC presenters and commentators was how authoritarian President Erdogan would become after the coup attempt failed.
Why did these outlets choose to cover the incident from such a narrow perspective, failing to appreciate the sacrifice of the Turkish people in saving their democracy? Mr Erdogan’s faith and Islamist ideology is frequently linked with the criticisms towards him, while the secularist coup plotters were not condemned. My own research into religion in the media has revealed how British media outlets represents Islam and Muslims from an ethnocentric perspective, considering secular values as the only acceptable way of life. It is not unlikely that the religious practice and political ideology of the Turkish leadership played an underlying role in the coverage of the attempted military coup in Turkey.
The BBC license fee payers have the right to receive impartial coverage of a major world event like this. CNN and Sky News also have responsibilities towards their audiences. This was not the time to only scrutinise the flaws of a democratically elected leader of a country, but to accurately report the events unfolding so that viewers are properly informed. In the battle against ISIS and the efforts to address the refugee crisis, stability in Turkey is paramount. Unfortunately, these outlets preferred to position themselves ideologically rather than impartially in their coverage.
The attempted coup in Turkey was a clear attack on democracy that was defeated by the united will of the Turkish people. The skewed coverage by the leading lights of western media is therefore a troubling manifestation of their professed commitment to democracy. It begs the question: is democracy only acceptable when it espouses leadership the west agrees with?
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