Outrage Erupts Over CNN Trks' Coverage of Glen's Funeral for Crossing Ethical Boundaries

CNN Trk faced backlash following its coverage of the funeral of Turkish cleric Fethullah Glens in Pennsylvania on Thursday, with many condemning the channel for crossing journalistic and ethical boundaries with its use of dehumanizing language, Turkish minute reported.

Glen, who died Sunday of health complications at the age of 83, was a Turkish Islamic scholar who inspired the global Glen movement, famous for its educational and charitable initiatives.

The Glen movement is accused by the Turkish government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoan of orchestrating a failed coup on July 15, 2016 and is labeled a terrorist organization, although the movement denies any involvement in the attempted coup. State or in any terrorist activity.

Erdoan has targeted the movement's supporters since corruption investigations from December 17 to 25, 2013, which involved former Prime Minister Erdoan, his family members and his entourage.

Dismissing the investigations as a coup by the Glenists and a plot against his government, Erdoan labeled the movement a terrorist organization and began targeting its members. He intensified repression of the movement after the aborted 2016 putsch that he accused Glen of organizing.

Turkish media coverage of Glen and the movement often reflects the official position of the Turkish government, which portrays them as traitors and terrorists.

After his funeral in Sussex County, New Jersey, where thousands of supporters gathered to pay their last respects, CNN Trk aired derogatory descriptions of the event and the mourners on its program. The show described the funeral, attended by more than 20,000 people, as a corpse ritual and referred to the crowd as vultures descending on his body, drawing strong reactions from viewers.

This media coverage sparked protests on social media, where users, including Turkish journalists, academics and human rights advocates, expressed outrage at the lack of sensitivity in CNN Trks' language.

Professor Mehmet Efe aman, one of thousands of academics who were fired from their jobs in Turkey by government decrees following the failed putsch, said on X that CNN Trks' language was not only biased and propagandistic, but also pathologically insensitive.

Lawyer Osman Zerey also condemned the media coverage, saying it demonstrated hostility towards religious people and criticized the channel for ignoring the sanctity of funeral rites in Islam.

Others called on CNN International to hold its Turkish subsidiary accountable, arguing that the content violated journalistic ethics.

A chorus of voices from critical exile media and online commentators pointed out that CNN Trks' framing of the funeral seemed to go beyond even the government's long-standing narrative about Glen.

Glen, who had lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, has always denied any involvement in the coup or in terrorist activity, but the movement he inspired has faced widespread repression, with the dismissal of tens of thousands of his real or supposed supporters. of their employment, detained or prosecuted.

Critics also pointed out that CNN Trks' media coverage appeared to target not only Glen but also the religious sentiments of Turkish society as a whole.

Calls are growing for CNN's parent company in the United States to look into the actions of its Turkish subsidiary. Social media users contacted CNN International, asking it to either revoke the Turkish franchise's license or issue a formal reprimand. So far, CNN International has not publicly responded to the incident.

CNN Trk is known for its pro-government stance and has drawn criticism for its media coverage in recent years.

Other Turkish media outlets were also criticized for their inflammatory coverage of Glens' funeral. Even opposition channel Halk TV toed the Turkish government's line by covering Glen's funeral with a barrage of insults against the deceased academic.

Prominent Greek journalists Dimitris Ikonomou and Akis Pavlopoulos, speaking on Skai TV, criticized Halk TV's language, which they called unprecedented and appalling. They argued that even in the midst of a political or ideological conflict, it is rare in Greece to mock religious rituals in such grotesque ways, emphasizing that such media coverage deviates from the standards of professionalism of international journalism.

TV100, another pro-government channel, featured host Kbra Par making derogatory remarks about the cleric, saying: “That his [hell] the fire be abundant.

His remarks contrast sharply with the typical approach of Turkish society, where, even in times of conflict, respect for the dead often prevails.

When she made the remarks, Par was speaking to Dou Perinek, a politician long opposed to Glen and known for his support of the government's anti-Glen crackdown, but who refrained from making disparaging comments about the cleric after his death.

Perinek, a staunch government ally in the post-coup crackdown, carefully avoided inflammatory remarks out of respect for the deceased. His restraint stood in stark contrast to Pars' remarks, highlighting what many saw as a worrying erosion of journalistic standards and professional ethics in Turkey's media landscape.

Turkey's official Anadolu news agency and other pro-government media outlets have also adopted derogatory language, frequently referring to the Glen movement as FET, an acronym for Fethullah Terrorist Organization, a term officially introduced by Turkish authorities in 2016. This creation reflects Turkish will. The government's continued efforts to portray Glen and his supporters as enemies of the state.

Critics say these cases show how pressure on pro-government media to demonize perceived opponents has reached unprecedented levels and often violates standards of decency.