The palace's desire: a 'pink newspaper'

With no chance left to secure public consent, the Palace administration has turned to disinformation as one of its most frequently used tools to prolong the regime’s lifespan. News channels that report the country’s realities, newspapers that expose public poverty, citizens who criticize the government in street interviews, and even the president of TÜSİAD for merely reminding the public that equal opportunity no longer exists—all have been targeted under accusations of “misleading the public.”

Some have been sent to prison, while others have been threatened with RTÜK sanctions. The concept of disinformation has become more than just a tool to silence journalists—it is now a mechanism of oppression against anyone who does not support the government. In other words, if you criticize the economic collapse, deepening poverty, crushing taxes imposed on millions, the politicization of the judiciary, bureaucratic dysfunction, the erosion of institutions, or failures in domestic and foreign policy, you are automatically labelled a potential criminal.

PESSIMISM IS FORBIDDEN

Last week, a social media post by RTÜK Chairman Ebubekir Şahin drew attention. Criticizing news broadcasts on television, Şahin claimed that Turkey had "successful achievements" and stated, "Doomsday reporting that spreads despair with ‘we’re ruined,’ ‘we’re finished,’ and ‘we’re doomed’ narratives benefit no one."

He went further, warning that RTÜK monitoring specialists had "identified an excessive amount of violent content in prime-time news bulletins, along with news anchors making biased and intentional remarks." With this statement, Şahin openly threatened news programs and journalists, signalling tighter control over critical reporting.

Following RTÜK Chairman Ebubekir Şahin’s remarks, SZC TV was fined over statements made by TÜSİAD President Orhan Turan during an appearance on journalist Özlem Gürses’ program. Turan, reflecting on his childhood and the opportunities he had, stated, “Now, how feasible is it for a child from a village in Elazığ to reach this point?” This remark was deemed as painting a "pessimistic picture" by suggesting that equal opportunity in Turkey has diminished.

TÜSİAD President Orhan Turhan and High Advisory Council President Ömer Arif Aras, both of whom have faced harsh government reactions for their criticisms, were summoned for questioning. The prosecutor’s office issued a statement echoing similar justifications:

"It has been determined that the suspect, Orhan Turhan, made statements that could mislead the public, disrupt public order, and influence ongoing investigations and prosecutions with false and disinformation content. Consequently, an investigation has been initiated against him for the offenses of Publicly Disseminating Misleading Information and Attempting to Influence Fair Trial Procedures."

Going back to the core issue—the government does not want anyone to paint a bleak picture of the country. Hunger, poverty, lawlessness, corruption, and incompetence must not be discussed. Instead, the narrative should be about how the country is rising to greatness, becoming a leader in foreign policy, and how, despite economic struggles caused by foreign powers, recovery is just around the corner. The goal is to suppress discussions of real problems so that all that remains is a rosy, artificial reality.

LIKE ROCKEFELLER’S FINAL DAYS

It is worth recalling a famous story that closely resembles today’s situation. In the final days of John D. Rockefeller, once the richest man in the U.S., a special newspaper called The Pink Newspaper was printed to ensure he spent his last days in good spirits. At 98 years old, the oil, steel, and banking tycoon were bedridden, growing anxious about the state of the country. The news reports he read were causing him stress. Seeing this, those around him came up with the idea of The Pink Newspaper, a concept that later made its way into media history. According to the Pink Newspaper, everything in the country was going perfectly. His companies were continuously making profits. It was a real newspaper, complete with news articles, opinion columns, weather reports, economy updates, foreign policy analysis, culture, sports, and entertainment sections—but every piece of content was designed to keep Rockefeller’s morale high.

Today, as the struggling regime faces its final days, it, too, clings to another illusion carefully crafted within its own Pink Newspaper. In doing so, it does not hesitate to wield its power against the press and the entire society, making sure that only the narrative it desires is told.

"CENSORSHIP LAW" OVER JOURNALISTS

More than two years have passed since the enforcement of the "publicly disseminating misleading information" law, which press, and professional organizations have dubbed the "censorship law." Under this law, in recent months, former AKUT president Nasuh Mahruki was arrested on November 20 for allegedly spreading misleading information via social media. Just two days later, on November 22, journalists İsmail Saymaz and Fatih Altaylı also became targets, with investigations launched against them under the same charge. According to data from the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), at least 56 journalists, writers, and media workers were investigated under this controversial regulation between 2022 and November 2024, leading to a total of 66 legal proceedings. Meanwhile, data from the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s Justice Commission revealed that in the same period, 4,590 people were investigated under the "publicly disseminating misleading information" charge.

DE FACTO “INFLUENCE AGENCY” CHARGE

The term "influence agency" was first introduced in May last year, added to the 9th Judicial Package, and later removed following public backlash. In the new legislative term, it was once again included in an omnibus bill. Although this provision has not yet been passed into law, it appeared in the prosecutor's detention request submitted to the on-duty criminal court of peace regarding manager Ayşe Barım. The document stated that actors represented by Barım’s management agency had participated in the #HelpTurkey campaign on social media simultaneously after the 2021 wildfires and earthquakes in Turkey, allegedly aiming to portray Turkey as inadequate in the international arena. The prosecution further claimed that Barım’s company had “deviated from its original purpose and engaged in influence agency activities”.

Note: This article has been translated for the Turkish original entitled Saray’ın arzusu ‘pembe gazete’ published in BirGün newspaper on February 21, 2025.