‘Manipulating the society’: FETO’s information war against Türkiye

On July 15, 2016, Türkiye defeated a military coup orchestrated by the members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation, known as FETO. Known as one of the darkest nights in the history of Türkiye, the group infiltrated a section of theg Turkish Armed Forces and brutally killed 251 people and wounded over 2,700 more.

In their attempt to overthrow the government and establish a new one in line with their interests, FETO waged a ‘hybrid war’ long before their physical attack on the country.

The group was well aware that taking on an information war leading to the coup would be critical if they were to gain control of the country without interference.

In a report, ‘FETO media's pre-July 15 psychological warfare journalism’, published by Türkiye’s Gazi University, said that the tactics of hybrid war were in full force in the process that took Türkiye to the night of July 15, 2016.

A hybrid or online information war begins with an objective, such as launching a coup. From there, hybrid attackers analyze their target audience’s online behaviour, develop online infrastructure like websites and then distribute propaganda or manipulative content mainly on social media. To make the narrative more trustworthy, attackers also create supporting news articles. 

In this case, FETO engaged in disinformation to spread its ideology and reach large masses. 

Four main groups managed the media structure of FETO: Kaynak Holding, Feza Journalism Co., Samanyolu Broadcasting Group and Ipek Media Group. 

Kaynak Holding, established in 1979, has been one of the most influential and powerful organisations of FETO's media structuring, with more than ten thousand employees and 86 companies. 

Feza Journalism Co. included many newspapers, magazines, radio, and internet sites. Samanyolu Broadcasting Group was managing the organisation's TV channels. Ipek Media Group, on the other hand, with the Bugun and Millet newspapers, BGN News, Bugun TV, Kanalturk TV, and Kanalturk Radio channels, were the tools used by FETO to appeal to more religious audiences.

At least 16 FETO-affiliated televisions, three news agencies, 23 radios, 45 newspapers,15 magazines, and 29 publishing houses were closed down after they were found to be involved in inciting violence and hatred across the country.  

“FETO when using its media propaganda to manipulate the society, weaken the state and neutralise the fight against terrorism that seriously shook Türkiye, it finally implemented the July 15 coup attempt,” Dr. Haluk Olcekci from the Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, said in its report.

“However, it could not be successful in the face of the resistance of the people who took to the streets and took care of their country.”

However, the information war continued even years after the failed coup attempt. 

In 2019, a report published by Eskisehir Anadolu University detailed the ongoing digital and social media propaganda activities of FETO. It said the group has formed a "troll army" on Twitter and bought influential accounts with millions of followers to spread disinformation.

“FETO has created an army of trolls that carry out black propaganda through social media accounts created with fake information,” the report said. 

“FETO terrorists are making black propaganda in six detected languages.”

Türkiye’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun warned last year that one of the biggest threats the country is facing is "digital fascism," which is politicising concepts such as freedom of expression and tolerance.

He said the ringleaders of the PKK terror group and FETO continue to freely propagate on social media platforms.

"When our country requested the accounts affiliated with the terrorist organisations to be removed, it is accused of authoritativeness and not respecting the freedom of expression," he said, Emphasizing a “double standard” applied by global companies.

"The 'enormous tolerance' shown to the murderous organizations abhorrently killing the innocent people, unfortunately, stands among the problems that hurt the most. Because terrorist organizations constitute a threat not only for the regions they target but also for the entire world," he noted.

In 2020, at the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic, several FETO-affiliated accounts on social media were using the Scientific Committee members' identities “to incite fear” among the public. The Scientific Committee was established at the time to manage the spread of the virus.

And just recently, in March, members of the FETO group ran accounts such as “police union” on Twitter to turn the Turkish police against the government. Some of the posts called for a “revolt against the government". 

It is difficult to determine what tactics and tools from the propaganda playbook will the FETO group use next. Still, members of the terrorist group will continue to shape a coherent narrative that legitimizes the 2015 coup and incite violence and hatred. 

Without the necessary vigilance of the public, this information war waged on Türkiye may not die anytime soon, further challenging the public access to reliable information.