After a news story triggered a strong reaction from Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), British news agency Reuters has reaffirmed it “firmly stands by the report” concerning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son.
“Our story was crafted in accordance with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles, demonstrating our steadfast dedication to fair and accurate reporting for the benefit of the global public” a spokesperson from Reuters told VOA Turkish.
Reuters’ report on 26 June sparked controversy and drew criticism from the Turkish government last week, leading to access bans on related stories and tweets. Turkish officials had condemned the report, arguing it aims to tarnish the country’s reputation in the run-up to the NATO Summit.
The report detailed a Swedish company’s alleged attempt to gain a foothold in the Turkish market via the president’s son, promising to pay tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks. The report mentioned that no kickback had been paid, and that the company in question, Dignita Systems AB, had “abruptly abandoned the project late last year”.