Ertugrul Ozkok: Journalists limbo in Ergenekon, disinformation or disinformation?

With all that is happening in the ongoing Ergenekon mess, a brief sentence made by one of the policemen who escorted the chairman of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO), Sinan Aygun, attracted my attention the most. Â

 

His comments to Sinan Aygun, which came after finding 2.5 million euros at his home during the police search, is this:

 

"You call yourself a supporter of Ataturk (founder of Turkish Republic), but the money we found in your safe does not carry his picture."

 

I thought this news was incorrect and refused to believe it when I first heard it. Â

 

But, when I saw that other sources were also delivering the same information we decided to publish it.

 

However, I remained hesitant. That is because this statement reveals just how prejudiced that policeman was against Aygun and how ideologically he was in his thinking about him.

 

* * *

 

Policemen in democratic countries do not so openly and obviously make their personal opinions known.Â

 

That is why; I had expected the statement to be denied by the police.

 

But, while I was expecting the police to denounce the statement; an announcement of denial came from ATO instead of police.

 

In my view, the police department should have been the first to deny the statement.

 

In any case, this news was very important to me since it revealed just how susceptible the Ergenekon operation is to disinformation.

 

I spoke to an official who had information regarding the ongoing investigations in Istanbul on Thursday.

 

I asked his opinions about the plan claimed to have been found on the desk of Ret. Gen. Sener Eruygur.

 

This detail was published in some newspapers; interestingly however, it did not appear in Taraf* daily.

 

"I will tell you outright that we have received no information yet," he said.

 

If this is the case, what is the source of this news?

 

"We do not even allow officers working on this operation to go home. I assume certain individuals sit and write these assumptions themselves. Tuncay Ozkan, a nationalist journalist, will organize a meeting on July 6, maybe someone is fabricating something surrounding this," he added.

 

It is not easy to prepare a newspaper with these kinds of agendas circulating.

 

It is extremely difficult in fact to differentiate the disinformation from the real information.

 

To remain composed is like playing Russian roulette these days.

 

Because, sometimes it is possible to miss the news by being a little too contained, and this can become a disadvantage.

 

And sometimes you are saved from the tricks of disinformation by behaving in such way and that is when it becomes your advantage.

 

* * *

 

I also put this question to the official I spoke with.

 

When can we expect the retired commanders to be released from custody?

 

"The necessary attention is being given to the commanders in custody," he said prior to giving his answer.

 

"Maybe he prefers to talk with the top prosecutor in attendance; and if not, in front of a judge. But it will not be to his advantage to not talk to the prosecutor," he said regarding the deposition of Eruygur.

 

He also clarified the long ongoing period of detention by saying, "There are many taped recordings. There are questions emerging from the depositions given by other individuals. All these questions will be asked."

 

But it was obvious that he was also under pressure since the indictment for the case had not yet been prepared.

 

 

* * *

 

Those who do not share this stress are "gun-slinging journalists".

 

These are happy days for them.

 

I read their columns and see their guns already drawn and there is no sign that their guns will return to their holsters in the near future.

 

They take on the appearance of soldiers heading to front for the “final showdown".

 

Their job is easy.

 

They labeled the generals as "plotters" and the journalists as "gang members" in their reporting of an investigation for which an indictment does not yet exist.

 

Even among them, there are some who criticize us for our "press ethics".

 

While everyone is talking about democracy, let me impart a couple of sentence about it too.

 

Turkish Democracy does not rest on the shoulders of gun-slinging columnists with unchanging beliefs, but those logical people who have difficulties in finding the right perspective for their articles.

 

This is why we need to continue to remain controlled.

 

You might end up be sorry if this trait is your disadvantage; but, pleased if this is your advantage.

 

Both conditions are much better than being a gun wielding individual nowadays.

 

 

 

* Taraf daily is a newly established newspaper by pro-AKP leftist intellectuals. Taraf is among the newspapers, which pro-AKP officials allegedly leak unproven information on such cases like Ergenekon or similar events.