Ombudsman wrote: Official statements are confusing regarding the news of First Lieutenant Bozkurt's martyrdom

In his column titled " The First Lieutenant 's image was three years ago" in BirGün newspaper, Faruk Bildirici examined the allegations that the terrorist organization PKK released images of Martyr First Lieutenant Nuri Melih Bozkurt after the arms laying down ceremony.

The day after the PKK’s ‘symbolic’ disarmament ceremony, Sözcü ran with the headline, ‘Half-hour show for 47 years of treason.’ Immediately below it was a news article titled, “The dishonorable people burned our hearts again at the last minute”: “Before the show, the PKK released images of martyred First Lieutenant Nuri Melih Bozkurt, whose body had not been found for three years, on social media at midnight.” The relevant part of Bildirici’s article is as follows:

So I scoured the digital universe; I found the video showing First Lieutenant Bozkurt's body, not on social media, but on the ANF website, which is affiliated with the PKK. The PKK members were talking while holding up Lieutenant Bozkurt's lifeless body, covered in blood and soil. The news reported that Bozkurt, who was severely wounded, died after mentioning his name.

But this footage wasn't new, as reported in Sözcü. It was published nearly three years ago, on June 26, 2022. Cumhuriyet and other websites, dated May 31, 2022, reported that Bozkurt "fell a martyr despite all interventions in the hospital." The PKK, by publishing that footage, objected to the "statements that Bozkurt died in the hospital."

"THAT SAD IMAGE OF THE GREY WOLF WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN BROKEN ON THE AGENDA"

But the mainstream media ignored the PKK's statement that they had Bozkurt's body, along with the video, for three years, until earlier this month, when it was revealed that 12 soldiers searching for Lieutenant Bozkurt's body in an Iraqi cave had died from methane gas.

In the news report prepared by Cumhuriyet about the martyred first lieutenant following these deaths, under the title “Hospital riddle”, it was admitted that the “initial information” that “Bozkurt was taken to the hospital with serious injuries” was false.

If the disaster in that cave had not occurred, this correction would probably not have been made; and if the PKK members had not held that ceremony, that sad image of Bozkurt would not have been brought to the agenda.

"THE MEDIA SHOULD NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEM"

This demonstrates that journalism based solely on official statements and whispers called "information" can lead to the production of such disjointed, inaccurate, and fact-free news. Military sources providing information to the media should provide statements with their names so the public can identify the source of the error and prevent the media from assuming responsibility for them.

It's also wrong for Sözcü to present that inhumane image from three years ago as a new development after that ceremony in Iraq. Even if someone other than the PKK reshared it on social media, they should have checked it before presenting it as new.

Even if you are against the process carried out with the PKK, it is necessary to remain true to the truth.

Odatv.com