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.

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Filed Under: coup, gta iv, reporting, turkey


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  1. icon
    You are being watched (profile), 11 Aug 2016 @ 4:46pm

    Could be very handy with that 6 star rating they have going on right now.

    They should have went with the 'lower wanted level' cheat.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Capt ICE Enforcer, 11 Aug 2016 @ 4:48pm

    You know it

    Up, up, down, down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, A, B. Start....

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Capt ICE Enforcer, 11 Aug 2016 @ 4:48pm

    You know it

    Up, up, down, down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, A, B. Start....

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Capt ICE Enforcer, 11 Aug 2016 @ 4:50pm

    That code was so good. It posted twice. Unstoppable.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. icon
    Atkray (profile), 11 Aug 2016 @ 5:06pm

    How do we mark the post itself as funny?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. icon
    Zinc Whiskers (profile), 11 Aug 2016 @ 5:10pm

    Wasn't this news a couple weeks ago?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 11 Aug 2016 @ 5:31pm

    More proof our reality is a simulation.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    JustShutUpAndObey, 11 Aug 2016 @ 8:12pm

    Countries are like people

    Countries are like individuals. Sometimes they just go batshit insane.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Spyder, 11 Aug 2016 @ 8:38pm

    (Imagines Trump madly punching cheat codes into voting machines in the hope of proving Hillary rigged the election...)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. icon
    Padpaw (profile), 12 Aug 2016 @ 1:24am

    Re:

    no matter which side wins we can be certain the losers will claim election fraud.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. icon
    PaulT (profile), 12 Aug 2016 @ 1:28am

    Re: Re:

    Only one side has already claimed it will be rigged, however.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2016 @ 1:56am

    CHEATER!!!!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    JustSomeGuy, 12 Aug 2016 @ 2:39am

    This is absolutely true*

    I, for one, am planning to overthrow the Australian government after the census debacle and I KNOW I will succeed because I have in my grubby little hands a piece of paper containing the phrases "power overwhelming", "show me the money" and "there is no cow level".

    * for very loose definitions of the word "true" :-)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. icon
    Tobias Harms (profile), 12 Aug 2016 @ 3:24am

    What I don't understand is why everyone keep referring to this as the "failed coup". This was a very successful coup from Erdogan.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2016 @ 5:08am

    They clearly picked the wrong game, GTA IV has lousy cheat codes. Using GTA V instead would let one become more or less Superman.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2016 @ 5:10am

    Re: Re:

    Citizens are the losers, no matter what.
    Who is elected determines how bad it will get.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. icon
    DannyB (profile), 12 Aug 2016 @ 5:59am

    Making stuff up and calling it news

    American news organizations DO NOT make stuff up and call it news.

    They call it BREAKING NEWS.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. icon
    DannyB (profile), 12 Aug 2016 @ 6:02am

    Re: Countries are like people

    Make ${COUNTRY} great again!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. icon
    DannyB (profile), 12 Aug 2016 @ 6:03am

    Re:

    Our reality might not be a simulation.

    This planet could be a beta test.

    Or, this planet could be some other planet's 'hell'.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2016 @ 6:20am

    Re: Re:

    The developer writes messy code and left a lot of bugs in it.
    2 Stars

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. icon
    Uriel-238 (profile), 12 Aug 2016 @ 6:48am

    We've seen more believable versions of this sort of thing before.

    The 1944 D-Day Crossword Panic should set the standard for the minimum amount of evidence before a communication conspiracy is to be believed.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. icon
    Ninja (profile), 12 Aug 2016 @ 6:53am

    I'm just saying it could be worse.

    Could? I would use will instead of could. Because at some point it will. And that applies everywhere.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  23. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Aug 2016 @ 12:53pm

    Newsvertising

    In addition to making up news, they also disguise advertisements as news, and the anchor just happens to have that (insert product here) and thinks it's great.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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