CNNTürk's live broadcast from Trump's toilet became a subject of criticism

The NATO Summit held in Ankara received widespread attention, both for its political dimensions and for the attitudes of the Turkish media during and after the summit. CNNTürk, which drew attention by broadcasting the minute-by-minute journey of the plane carrying US President Donald Trump before the summit, featured a controversial broadcast after the event. Despite three days having passed since the summit, a reporter from the channel went to the hotel where Trump stayed, filmed the room he stayed in, and opened a live broadcast. This situation caused media criticism in tweets and columns.

The most debated moment of the broadcast occurred when the reporter did a live broadcast from the toilet used by the US President. Upon the image of the toilet bowl appearing on screen, a highly detailed and extraordinary question was directed to the hotel manager hosted in the studio. The presenter questioned whether Trump had brought a special toilet system to take his feces with him in order not to leave a DNA sample behind. The hotel manager denied these claims, stating that no such change or special installation had been made.

In the background of this media headline lies the intensive preparations made in Ankara for the NATO Summit and the budget of millions of liras spent. It was claimed that antique-looking pots were placed and roads were re-asphalted to give an aesthetic appearance to the routes the leaders would pass through. Additionally, it is stated that barriers were put up in front of some shantytown neighborhoods to hide the socioeconomic problems and poverty in the country. It is expressed that these preparations were applied much more intensely, especially around the hotel where Trump would stay, and that facades were cleaned.

The soL Haber portal, which served the news, uses the incident as a document to criticize the distorted priorities and attitude of the mainstream media. The report emphasizes that critical issues such as anti-war rhetoric and billions of dollars in arms sales were ignored or superficially glossed over by corporate media. It is stated that a de facto state of emergency was declared in the capital and that Trump's alleged statements declaring war on Iran from Turkey were downplayed by the media. In this context, it is argued that media organizations have moved away from the real agenda of the public and are playing the three monkeys.

Overall, this news questions how the media ecosystem in Turkey handles international summits and how it determines its news priorities. It is claimed that focusing on the personal belongings and toilet habits of political leaders serves to cover up real social issues. In this context, the transformation of even international relations and secret service protection procedures into ordinary tabloid news is criticized. The incident stands out as a striking example of how the quality of news has changed in today's media understanding for the sake of clicks and ratings.