Is Erdogan’s Communications Directorate failing him?
Source:al Monitor Date:24Oct2021
Steven Cook published a piece in Foreign Policy about how Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is too sick to continue his job, discussing who might be the potential replacement. This piece, published earlier this month, generated both international and domestic reactions. Ankara’s Communications Directorate launched a campaign on all social, print and visual media outlets about how young, fit and healthy Erdogan is after all.
Indeed, there are a couple of perplexing points. Cansu Camlibel, editor-in-chief of independent news outlet Duvar English, posted a series of tweets from her account saying Cook’s analysis on Erdogan’s health was not that interesting. She explained that mishaps of Erdogan’s physical performance are frequently discussed in public, but none of the pro-government TV channels could report the matter. Camlibel’s point is crucial. When there is no verifiable information but only videos of Erdogan that show his hands holding the microphone are shaking unstoppably or he can barely walk, or he dozes off in the middle of his own speech in front of cameras, rumors regarding his health are inevitable. On independent media platforms, Erdogan’s health has been discussed long before Cook’s analysis.