Allegations that officials vetted questions posed to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a return flight from Washington have fueled accusations of a stage-managed press, with critics saying that even the pro-government journalists handpicked to accompany him were fed a script, Turkish Minute reported.
Media ombudsman Faruk Bildirici said he received a list of questions, including the names of the journalists assigned to ask them, hours before the plane carrying Erdoğan left the United States.
Bildirici compared the list with the transcript later released by the Presidency’s Communications Directorate and said the questions matched in content and order. He called on the directorate or the presidency to explain how the list reached him if officials do not supply questions.
Erdoğan’s visit to the White House marked his first meeting with US President Donald Trump in six years, amid hopes that Washington would lift US sanctions and restore Turkey’s place in the F-35 fighter jet program.
Trump told reporters he believed Turkey would stop buying Russian oil and suggested he might lift the sanctions to enable arms sales.
While Erdoğan hailed “meaningful progress” and announced a large Boeing aircraft deal, key topics such as Turkey’s removal from the F-35 program and its Russian energy ties were barely acknowledged in the public transcript.
Critics in Turkey saw the meeting as humiliating, arguing that Erdoğan made too many concessions in order to gain US favor and point out that the press session on the plane further shows how fragile the government’s narrative is, requiring micro-managing the questions of staunchly pro-government journalists.
Columnist Hasan Cemal described the revelation as proof of long-suspected practices and said he had never seen journalism sink so low in his decades-long career. Journalist Murat Yetkin urged both the directorate and the reporters who travel with Erdoğan to explain.
The Communications Directorate has not issued a statement, and its Disinformation Center has not denied the claim.
Ahmet Hakan, editor-in-chief of the pro-government Hürriyet daily, confirmed that the directorate asks reporters to send their questions in advance but argued that the practice is meant to prevent duplication and ensure variety. He insisted that journalists still freely ask questions during the sessions.
Critics said Hakan’s defense underscored the issue. Journalist Zafer Arapkirli said the advance collection of questions is itself a scandal and accused officials of stage-managing what are presented as press conferences.
Bildirici responded that even if Hakan’s claims are correct, that means questions are pre-screened, selected and approved, with Erdoğan reading from prepared cards and transcripts edited by the directorate. He called for the plane sessions to be recorded on video so the public can see how questions are asked and answered.
Political scientist Murat Somer posted on X that the problem goes beyond censorship to a press corps that has “internalized authoritarianism” by choosing not to ask probing questions.
Observers noted that journalists on the Washington flight did not raise key issues such as the F-35 fighter jets, Halkbank sanctions, the status of Turkey’s Greek Orthodox Seminary, Trump’s Gaza plan or nuclear cooperation.
Cem Küçük, a columnist for the pro-government Türkiye newspaper, also confirmed that the directorate removes questions it does not want asked. He said the practice is wrong and suggested including moderate opposition journalists on Erdoğan’s trips.
For years only reporters from outlets close to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have been allowed on Erdoğan’s international flights.
Reporters Without Borders ranked Turkey 159th out of 180 countries in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index, noting that 90 percent of the country’s media is now under government control.
