'AK trolls' were detrimental to the 'Yes' camp

I recently wrote an article about the sophisticated propaganda machine of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

I suggested that in the inner core of that three-layered machine was President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AKP's top ranks, who worked with a very qualified inner team that uses state of the art technology to take the pulse of the nation, measuring the reflection of every statement on society and devising their strategy accordingly.

Surrounding that core is another layer of so-called academics, journalists, and opinion-formers who amplify the AKP's messages in the public sphere. This group often acts as if someone has pressed a button: One day they may all voice total hatred against Russia and declare it Turkey's number one enemy, while the next day they may stage a complete U-turn and start claiming that Turkey has no friends other than Russia.

If one of their missions is to muddy the waters, another is to lead smear campaigns against the AKP's critics. They attack and insult anyone who does not agree with the president's views, creating a chilling effect among opinion leaders who may have a different view from that of the AKP.

The problem is that when this unchecked they can go beyond acceptable limits, and their capacity to spout nonsense is beyond imagination.

It now appears that this group's propaganda may have been detrimental for the "Yes" camp in the recent referendum on shifting Turkey to an executive presidential system.

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