Turkish Reporter: These Grand Theft Auto Cheat Codes Are The Secret Messages Of The Failed Coup Attempt
from the idkfa dept
In a polarized America, quite often the claim is made that this or that news organization is making stuff up and calling it news. These claims usually fall along partisan lines, leading those of us that don't consider ourselves affiliated with any side to shake our heads. And, while nobody should ever be so bold as to claim that no bias exists at all, accusations of purely making up news tend to pale in comparison to what goes on in some other nations out there.
Let's take Turkey, for instance. Yes the country with the petulant and easily-upset President Tayyip Erdogan, also has some reporters that truly just make stuff up. For instance, you can read about one reporter who managed to find some secret documents from the plotters of the recently failed coup attempt against Erdogan, and you can see an image of the secret codes she found below.
If any of that looks familiar but you're still having trouble placing exactly what, here's a basic transcription of the words on the page.
GTA IV
Cheats
I/ Health and Gun
II/Health and Armor
Yup, those are cheat codes for Grand Theft Auto 4. The reporter, meanwhile, apparently insisted that these were secret communications by the plotters against Erdogan. And you have to admit that that doesn't make any sense, because if those plotters could get more guns and health just by repeating a video game cheat code, the coup probably would have gone off without a hitch.
I'm not telling you not to be mad at news coverage in the United States. I'm just saying it could be worse.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Could be very handy with that 6 star rating they have going on right now.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
You know it
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
You know it
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
This planet could be a beta test.
Or, this planet could be some other planet's 'hell'.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
2 Stars
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Countries are like people
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Countries are like people
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
Who is elected determines how bad it will get.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
This is absolutely true*
* for very loose definitions of the word "true" :-)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Making stuff up and calling it news
They call it BREAKING NEWS.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
We've seen more believable versions of this sort of thing before.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Could? I would use will instead of could. Because at some point it will. And that applies everywhere.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Newsvertising
[ link to this | view in chronology ]