Where Journalism Ends and Lynching Begins

Media exploitation of the death of Turkish model Güler Erdoğan

“Turkish Model Güler Erdoğan Killed in Traffic Accident – Family Denies Incident Speculations”

This is approximately what the headlines about Güler Erdoğan’s death in early April would have looked like if the media had stuck to professional reporting. Instead, we got unprofessional, sensationalist, and misinformative reporting that relied on secondary sources and superficial interpretations.

However, before we discuss reporting methods in this case, one fundamental question arises: Was reporting on the death of the Turkish model in the public’s interest in BiH at all?

Had the reporting been professional: maybe. Had the accident been used as an opportunity to talk about the dangers of drunk driving, there would be an educational purpose and relevance.

But in their reporting, some media outlets stated that Erdoğan allegedly had mental health problems and in the past, according to these allegations, she attempted suicide. The exact purpose of this randomly inserted claim is unclear – it is not linked to a specific cause of death, supported by statements made by family or experts, or put into context. Instead of raising awareness about mental health, the information formulated in this way serves solely as a tool to stigmatise mental health difficulties and facilitate gossip journalism.

To serve the public interest, the story could have questioned police methods of dealing with people who are under the influence of alcohol, including their abilities and training on de-escalation, and police protocols during pursuits. There are numerous other angles that would have justified the publication of this story with real public interest. However, they simply did not exist in the reporting of this case.

How the tragedy in Turkey became “Balkan” news

The media wrote about this death without checking sources or any real reporting. We are used to this from the BiH media, especially when it comes to international topics. News is reported (often incorrectly translated) without a local angle or context and without any statements that journalists would have obtained on their own; without thought, reflection or research. Instead, Facebook and Instagram are becoming inviolable and confidential sources of information.

Paradoxically, even these “sources” were ignored in this case. Had anyone from the media even looked at Güler Erdoğan’s Instagram profile, they would have seen that her title was Miss Freedom of Balkan 2022 in the description, not “Miss Balkans” as many have reported. The CNN Türk report, which is considered a relevant source, reported her title as Miss Balkans Kosovo, which implies a local competition held in Kosovo. So, here we are already entering the zone of media-produced confusion – it is no longer clear which titles the model actually held.

This pseudo-regional identification served as justification for reporting on the story in BiH and the region so that it would be perceived by readers as “our tragedy,” even though the connection is weak and symbolic. This effectively assigns Erdoğan an identity that she clearly did not have, creating a fictitious emotional connection, and in fact, justifies publishing news that has no clear local relevance.

On April 4, a message from the family was published on the same Instagram profile, in which they appeal to the public not to believe all media allegations, stressing that it is a tragic accident that they witnessed. Another problem of the media in BiH is that follow-up simply does not exist – except when it is felt that further sensationalist fodder can be had. Consequently, the media didn’t even look at whether the investigation progressed or whether anything was being revealed. They didn’t even glance at the model’s Instagram account so that they could convey the family’s reaction. No accountability for the words spoken; no accountability for the story to follow. It seems that the journalists in our environment do not understand that they have a terrible, difficult responsibility and that with their words they can shape the lives and deaths of people – not only those they write about but also those who read the news and shape their worldview according to them. Instead of understanding this responsibility and carefully weighing the words that go public, we have hyperproduction and an inevitable battle for clicks in a market where too many similar portals without focus or angle compete for the attention of users accustomed to a continuous flow of content.

A woman, alcohol and Ramadan: A combination that guarantees clicks

The main thread of the event is also lost in different versions of the story: in some, Erdoğan fled from the police by car, in others, she left the vehicle and fled on foot, in some it is stated that she fell from the bridge and was then hit by a car, some reported it happened while she was crossing the street, while some media claim that her vehicle fell from an overpass. The information is contradictory, incomplete and unverified.

And what do we know for certain? We know she was a model. She was a woman. That, as most media outlets still report in their headlines, she was drinking alcohol – and during Ramadan! (Although, according to Turkish media, the accident occurred during Eid al-Fitr). The combination – a young woman, alcohol, a model, a religious holiday – guarantees the attention of a conservative and misogynistic audience. And it is precisely this sort of attention that the media is targeting.

Photographs of Güler Erdoğan, smiling slightly with a tiara, are paired with headlines emphasising that she was running from the police and/or drunk.

Poginula bivša Miss Balkana, udarilo je auto dok je bjezala od policije | Klix (Former Miss Balkans Killed, Hit by Car While Fleeing From the Police)

Poginula je Guler Erdogan: Miss Balkana je stradala pokušavajući pobjeći policiji | DEPO Portal (Güler Erdoğan Dead: Miss Balkans Killed Trying to Outrun the Police)

Poginula Miss Balkana: Pokušala je pobjeći policajcima koji su zaustavili njen auto… | Oslobođenje (Miss Balkans Killed: Tried to Escape Policemen Who Pulled Her Car Over)

Bivša Miss Balkana poginula nakon što je pijana bježala od policije, tijelo joj je pronađeno kraj ceste | Jutarnji (Former Miss Balkans Killed After Running Away from Police While Drunk – Body Found by the Side of the Road)

Tužan kraj: Poginula bivša Miss Balkana, pijana bježala od policije | Radiosarajevo.ba (A Sad End_ Former Miss Balkans Killed, Ran from Police Drunk)

Prelijepa misica sa Kosova zavila region u crno: Ljepotica vodila zdrav život, napila se pa poginula | Info.ks.net (Kosovan Beauty Queen Bereaves Region: The Beauty Led a Healthy Life, Got Drunk and Died)

Headlines such as these immediately set the tone of the reporting: sensationalist, cold, devoid of empathy and aimed at shocking the audience. There is no attempt to present Güler Erdoğan as a person: no statements from family, friends or colleagues, nor any context that could give depth to this tragedy.

Stories involving young, beautiful, female public figures, especially models, beauty queens or influencers, always attract disproportionate attention, especially if they can be linked to scandal, death or perceived moral decay. The audience’s reactions are expected: misogynistic comments, victim-blaming, gossip and emotional outbursts, all of which result in high visibility and numerous interactions. The media is counting on it. Without thinking about ethics, without fact-checking or respect for the deceased, her family or the audience. Certainly without any concern for what should be their starting point: public accountability.

Laughing over death: Comments that reveal the true face of the public

Habitually, articles about the accident were often placed in the Showbiz, Jet Set or Entertainment sections, because nothing is more entertaining than the death of a woman, especially a conventionally attractive one with a relatively successful career.

The comments under the articles further reinforce this image. The comment sections are flooded with condemnation – primarily because of her alcohol consumption, and then because of her profession. Some comments are malicious with a tone of satisfaction at someone else’s death, full of tasteless “jokes”, questioning her intelligence, and even claims that her “bad judgment” was a side-effect of being vaccinated. The numerous laugh reactions on the news of Güler Erdoğan’s death indicate a worrying loss of collective empathy and raise questions about the mental health of a society that laughs at tragedy. Similar reactions are regularly seen for news of femicide, which makes us wonder: how much malice, frustration and unconscious hatred must exist in someone’s everyday life for that person to laugh at the death and misfortune of another person, especially when that person has done nothing other than be a woman?

Honestly, these kinds of comments and reactions give me the chills. It gives me anxiety and mistrust that we share our streets, queues at the store, and rides on the tram with such people, that we live surrounded by such attitudes and cruelty every day. It makes me more cautious in contact with unknown men (and women) and reminds me how important it is for the media not to participate in the normalisation of such narratives, but actively deconstruct them. What we have instead is a focus on profit.

Clicks are not the only model: Ethics can be sustainable

In the BiH market, the upside of this tactic remains questionable, except for the already established portals whose numbers remain unattainable for others. In a media space where there are only a few specialised portals and a few recognisable names, where authorship and reflection are only sporadic, perhaps an alternative could offer a better solution. There is room for a media outlet that would cover such stories professionally and in an interesting way, taking into account ethical principles, human dignity and public interest.

There is an audience for that. That would pay for it. Global research shows it: people are willing to pay for quality, thoughtful, accurate, relevant and timely content. As I read sensationalist articles exploiting yet another young woman’s death, the thought comes back to me:

Maybe there is no alternative yet. But there is definitely a need, as well as an audience ready to recognise it when it comes.

Author: Maida Salkanović

Translation: Tijana Dmitrović

This article was originally produced for and published by Mediacentar Sarajevo It has been re-published here with permission.