Yeni Şafak

Yeni Şafak
Type Daily newspaper
Format Berliner
Owner(s) Albayrak Holding
Editor-in-chief İbrahim Karagül
Founded 1994
Political alignment Islamist, Conservative, Far right, Antisemitist
Language Turkish
Headquarters Yeni Doğan Mah. Kızılay Sok. No: 39 Bayrampaşa/İstanbul
Circulation 112.102 (November 2014)[1]
Website www.yenisafak.com.tr

Yeni Şafak ("New Dawn") is a conservative and Islamist Turkish daily newspaper. The newspaper is known for its hardline support of president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AKP.[2] Yeni Şafak newspaper made it to international headlines when it was found out that the newspaper fabricated some parts of an interview done with world famous intellectual Noam Chomsky.[3] According to a report published by Hrant Dink Foundation, Yeni Şafak is one of the top three Turkish newspapers resorting to hate speech.[4][5][6]

History

Yeni Şafak‍‍ '​‍s founding editor was Mehmet Ocaktan. In the beginning, Yeni Şafak was known for harboring both liberal and Islamist columnists. Yeni Şafak was acquired by Albayrak Holding in 1997, which had close ties with then mayor of Istanbul Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. After İbrahim Karagül became the editor-in-chief of Yeni Şafak, the newspaper became a hardline supporter of then prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.[2] More Islamist columnists were employed, while liberals like Kürşat Bumin were fired from the newspaper because of their critical views of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AKP.[7]

Controversies

Fabricated Noam Chomsky interview

On August 26, world famous linguist and activist Noam Chomsky accused the pro-government Yeni Şafak newspaper of fabricating some parts of an interview that was done with him via email.[8] The administration of Yeni Şafak denied this allegation and promised to release the original English content of emails. However, the released content was full of grammatical mistakes. Later it was found out that Yeni Şafak used the Google Translate service to translate fabricated Turkish content to English and served that as the original interview.[9] After grammatical errors, particularly "milk port" became a sensation at social media, Yeni Şafak finally admitted some parts were fabricated and removed the interview from its web site.[10][11]

Disinformation during Gezi Protests

Yeni Şafak was one of the seven pro-AKP newspapers published with the same headline on 7 June 2013, during the 2013 protests in Turkey

Yeni Şafak newspaper was a primary source of disinformation during 2013–14 protests in Turkey. According to a report published by Hrant Dink Foundation, Yeni Şafak was the primary newspaper generating hate speech against Gezi protestors.[6]

On June 4 Yeni Şafak claimed that protestors who took refuge in Dolmabahçe Mosque during a police raid had drunk beer inside the mosque.[12] PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that they would release security cam videos of this action. However, the imam of Dolmabahçe mosque denied those allegations and no videos were released to the public.[13] Later, imam of the mosque got exiled to a different city.[14] On February 14, months after the end of the protests, video footage revealed that there had in fact been no attack on a woman wearing a headscarf by protesters on June 1. The woman and Prime Minister Erdoğan had claimed in press conferences and political rallies that protesters had attacked her and her baby.[15][16]

Yeni Şafak also claimed that Gezi protestors were preparing for a big provocation and planning to burn the streets an on the holy Islamic day of Isra and Mi'raj.[17]

During the same day, Yeni Şafak also claimed that protests were organized by some Turkish advertising agencies and they released an open list of the agencies they accused of organizing the protests.[18]

On June 6 Yeni Şafak claimed that the Zello mobile app, which was used by protestors to communicate during the protests, was served to them by a source in Houston and that protestors were taking orders from that source.[19]

On June 10 Yeni Şafak claimed that a theatre play called "Mi Minor", allegedly supported by an agency in Britain, had held rehearsals of "revolution" in Turkey for months.[20]

On June 24, during one of the public forums in Istanbul which was televised live on Halk TV, a protestor said that maybe they should wear police uniforms to protest police brutality. Pro-AKP media sources like Yeni Şafak served this as "Halk TV is planning a provocation by telling protestors to wear police uniforms and make false flag attacks".[21]

On July 14 Yeni Şafak released an article titled "The Horrible Istanbul Plan of Gezi Protestors" on their internet portal. The article claimed that Gezi protesters are conspiring to undermine the AKP government by wasting water in order to empty the dams supplying İstanbul.[22] After the article became a source of mocking nationwide, Yeni Şafak removed the article from their web site.

Anti-Semitism

On July 11, 2014, Yeni Şafak columnist İbrahim Sancak resorted to hate speech against Jews.[23]

On July 11, 2014, Yeni Şafak columnist Yusuf Kaplan resorted to hate speech against Jews.[24]

On July 23 and 30 2014, Yeni Şafak columnist İbrahim Tenekeci resorted to hate speech against Jews and identified them as "eternal pain of humanity".[25][26]

Anti-LGBT

On June 6, 2012, Yeni Şafak columnist A. Fuat Erdoğan identified homosexuality as perversion.[27]

On May 13, 2013, Yeni Şafak columnist Yusuf Kaplan identified sexual identities other than heterosexuality as perversion.[28]

Anti-Abortion

On June 6, 2012, Yeni Şafak columnist A. Fuat Erdoğan resorted to hate speech against pro-abortion women.[27]

Attacks on journalists

On October 12, 2014, Yeni Şafak columnist Cem Küçük threatened journalists Ahmet Hakan and Fatih Altaylı saying "They will pay a heavy price for treason".[29] Cem Küçük compared those journalists to Julian Assange, whom he identified as a "So called journalist who published disgusting articles."[30]

On November 11, 2014, Yeni Şafak columnist Cem Küçük threatened Doğan Media Group CEO Aydın Doğan. He said if Aydın Doğan does not fire journalists like Ahmet Hakan, it will not be possible for Aydın Doğan to carry out some planned construction projects. He added "Aydın Doğan's future is in his own hands now."[31]

Columnists

  • Abdullah Muradoğlu
  • Ali Murat Güven
  • Salih Tuna
  • İbrahim Karagül
  • Tamer Korkmaz
  • Ali Bayramoğlu
  • Melih Bayram Dede
  • Ömer Lekesiz
  • Yusuf Ziya Cömert
  • Osman Tanburacı
  • Mehmet Şeker

References

  1. ↑ http://www.medyatava.com/tiraj
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Is Davutoglu facing a 'mission impossible'?". Al Monitor. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Hurriyet Daily News, 2 September 2013, Turkish daily apologizes for fabricated Chomsky interview
  4. ↑ "Study reveals increasing hate speech in Turkish press". Al Monitor. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "Hate speech on the rise in Turkish media". BBC. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Nefret Söylemi Raporu: Yeni Şafak 'Gezi'den Düşman Yaratmada Birinci". Hrant Dink Foundation. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "AKP and the liberals". Today's Zaman. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  8. ↑ Chomsky accuses Turkish daily of fabricating parts of interview - LOCAL
  9. ↑ The Wall Street Journal http://blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2013/09/05/turkish-newspapers-fake-chomsky-interview-lost-in-translation/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ↑ Turkish daily admits to making up parts of Chomsky interview, releases alleged text - LOCAL
  11. ↑ Turkish daily apologizes for fabricated Chomsky interview - LOCAL
  12. ↑ "Sığındıkları camide içki içtiler!". Yeni Şafak. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
  13. ↑ "PM Erdoğan repeats previously denied reports of protesters entering mosque with shoes on". Hürriyet Daily News. 9 June 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
  14. ↑ Yasemin Çongar (2013-09-23). "Turkish Muezzin Who Couldn't Lie Is Exiled". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
  15. ↑ "Released footage shows no physical attack on headscarf-wearing woman during Gezi protests". Turkish Weekly. 14 February 2014.
  16. ↑ "Video casts doubt over alleged attack on headscarved woman". The Daily Star. 14 February 2014.
  17. ↑ "Mirac gecesinde sokakları karıştırma planı". Yeni Şafak. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
  18. ↑ Ajanslar eyleme sponsor - Yenisafak.com.tr - 04.06.2013
  19. ↑ Houston'dan ölüm emri - Yenisafak.com.tr - 06.06.2013
  20. ↑ Turkish actor threatened over his Gezi Park support - LOCAL
  21. ↑ Polis değilsen kıyafet alamazsın - Yenisafak.com.tr - 25.06.2013
  22. ↑ Pro-gov't media: Gezi protesters conspiring to use up İstanbul's water
  23. ↑ "Yeni çağın ilk büyük imtihanı". nefretsoylemi.org.
  24. ↑ "Frankenstein ruhlu adamlar, Tanrı'yı kıyamete zorluyorlar". nefretsoylemi.org. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  25. ↑ "Bir iman meselesi". nefretsoylemi.org. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  26. ↑ "İnsanlar ve Yahudiler". nefretsoylemi.org. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Kürtah yasağı özgürlük kısıtlaması mıdır?". nefretsoylemi.org. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  28. ↑ "Üçüncü cinsel Devrim: Geliyorum diyen felaket". nefretsoylemi.org.
  29. ↑ "Cem Küçük’ten Ahmet Hakan ve Fatih Altaylı’ya tehdit: Julian Assange’lar bedel ödeyecek!". Diken. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  30. ↑ "Türk medyasının Julian Assange"ları ağır bedel ödeyecekler!". Yeni Şafak. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  31. ↑ "İşi bitik bir kukla ve tetikçi portresi". Yeni Şafak. Retrieved 24 November 2014.

External links