Ten years after the coup attempt in Türkiye, we’re still stuck in a media swamp of contradictions, spin, and outright propaganda. The mainstream outlets—CNN, BBC, and others—hammer home an agenda, painting the situation as a moral play between democracy and dictatorship. But where’s the nuanced discussion? It’s like they’re all auditioning for a role in the latest political soap opera rather than digging into the true complexities of Turkish society.

If you turn on CNN, you’ll get a steady diet of fear-mongering about Erdogan’s “authoritarianism” while conveniently glossing over the very real factors—both historical and cultural—that led to the coup attempt. They’ll frame him as the villain of the tale while ignoring that many Turks see him as the protector of their sovereignty. It’s a classic case of Western media thinking they know best, completely alienating a whole spectrum of voices within Türkiye.

Meanwhile, Fox News may lean more towards the geopolitical angle, casually sipping on anti-American sentiment in the region that they, themselves, brewed. But let’s be real—patting back the “right” kind of authoritarianism in this context is equally irresponsible.

What’s clear is that a divisive narrative serves cozy agendas more than it serves truth. Instead of encouraging dialogue, the media seems more interested in fueling a cultural war—one that further entrenches divides, not just in Türkiye but across the globe. Ask yourself: who benefits from keeping this division alive?