A Quintessential Case of FormingPublic Opinion via Mass Media

The newspaper Milliyet reported that former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman said that in 2004, several people brought him a copy of a hand-written letter concerning a junta getting prepared to stage a coup. Edelman said that upon examination, it had been revealed that the letter was a “product of forgery.”

Dani Rodrik, the son-in-law of former Army General Cetin Dogan, who is being tried for the “Balyoz” operation, had previously raised the issue of the fake documents. Dogan’s daughter, Pinar Dogan, and her husband Rodrik own a website where they defend Cetin against accusations.

The question to be asked is, how come Edelman, who had said “to the same reporter and on the same issue” a year ago, that “there was no document,” suddenly changed his mind to acknowledge a fake document?

I suppose the issue is not very complicated; it is merely that members of the Lobby are changing their story after the “One Minute” and “Mavi Marmara” incidents.

The Lobby neither skips a beat nor misses an opportunity, with no regard as to whether their actions are suitable for the moment. Even if there will be nothing but lies and only a shred of truth in anything they say, the Lobby “expresses what most fits their interests.”

If you inquire about the whereabouts of this fake document, they would probably tell you, “Hmmm, we got rid of it because it was a fake.”

Or, if a document suddenly shows up, since it was “fake” anyway, no one will know who prepared it, as well as why or how they did.

If you push for more explanation, they would say, “Because these are classified documents, we cannot release them” (Edelman says exactly that).

So, what solid thing do we have at the end of the entire clamor? Nothing!

What did Dani Rodrik or Eric Edelman prove with their talk? Again, nothing!

They merely talked and made noise. Is that it?

But wait for a moment: Perhaps, what they achieve with this mere talk is not something solid and proven, but something changed and distorted about how we perceive these court cases. This is because the constant discourse regarding fake documents might affect how we perceive the “reality.” When “coup plans” and “fake” are always simultaneously referred to, they might merge, become associated with each other and eventually mix.

Without giving much detail, it is implied through this communication to the citizens that “coup plans are fake,” which is how public opinion is formed through the mass media. Sometimes, we refer to it as “image creation” or “perception management.”

The most important court case in the history of the Turkish Republic continues. Many judges, prosecutors and police have gone to considerable pains to reveal the truth of the accusations. Indictments, which amount to thousands of pages, are being prepared. But this is all for nothing, right? The reason is that “coup plan accusations are fake!”

Before I forget, the “domestic pillar” of the Lobby, which comprises mostly of American academics, diplomats and journalists, has proved highly masterful and crafty.

In spite of the attack on the Council of State, the bombing of the Cumhuriyet newspaper building, the bombs placed at the submarine at Koc Museum, the confirmation that [coup] diaries were typed at a former Navy commander’s computer, the weapons and ammunition recovered at various places where they had been hidden under soil, the legal interception of calls and pursuits of people and witness statement and revelations, this reporter could comfortably conclude [after the interview with Eric Edelman] that “it has been found out that the notification letters and coup claims, which form the basis for Balyoz and Ergenekon court cases, had been served to the American Embassy before they were the subject of these cases.”

So, the basis of the cases that shocked Turkey are merely “fake” notification letters and coup claims, huh? Are you serious?

Let’s hope that God helps them gather their wits!