Erdogan Administration Demands Apology From NBC for Coup Attempt Reporting

On Monday the Turkish government issued an official request for an apology from US-based cable channel NBC News for what the former considers was false coverage about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during last week’s attempted coup.

Last Friday, as the attempted military coup in Turkey was unfolding, NBC News reported, citing a senior US defense official, that Erdogan had been refused landing rights in Istanbul and was seeking asylum in Germany.

Contrary to the reports, Erdogan arrived in Istanbul that night and gave a televised speech.

After the situation in Turkey stabilized, NBC News received a letter from the Turkish Embassy in Washington DC, accusing the news channel and producer Kyle Griffin of irresponsible actions, and demanding an apology. According to the Turkish embassy, the false report aggravated an already tense situation.

"It is outrageous that such important and sensitive information about the well-being of the Turkish President was handled in such an unprofessional way and was divulged without properly checking its validity and the credibility of the source," the letter read.

Although NBC News withdrew its allegations, it did not acknowledge that it had made an error. Turkish and American citizens turned to social media to press the channel to issue a formal apology.

Where's the accuracy of your news agency? Be transparent…Does that false news report serve a purpose during the coup? #ConfrontNBC

— Yusuf Karipek (@YusufKaripek) July 25, 2016

U think u could weaken people's power to stand against coup terrorists for democracy @nbc? #ConfrontNBC#Turkey pic.twitter.com/s75cNWdVz8

— Esra Öztürk (@EsraOzturkIst) July 25, 2016

​​Hundreds of Twitter users on Monday made critical postings under the hashtag "#confrontNBC" and threatened the channel with protests outside its New York City headquarters.