Istanbul's democracy rally in US media

By Esra Kaymak Avci

WASHINGTON (AA) - The anti-coup Democracy and Martyrs' Rally in Istanbul on Sunday drew broad media coverage in the U.S.

Turkey's biggest city witnessed millions of people gathering in a spectacular display of unity that brought ruling and opposition party leaders together in a first in modern Turkey history -- a highlight not lost on many news outlets.

The Associated Press (AP) headlined "Giant Turkish anti-coup rally packs Istanbul waterfront area" to describe the meeting in Yenikapi, a massive square next to the Marmara sea.

Sharing a video footage and twenty photos of the gathering, AP described the rally "a sea of red and white," referring to the colors of Turkish flag.

It added that the rally represented Turkish unity and brought different political parties and religious leaders together.

Referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Reuters used the headline "Turkey's Erdogan stages mass rally in show of strength after coup attempt," focusing mostly on the investigations and suspensions of members of Fetullah Terror Organization (FETO).

FETO, led by U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen, mounted the defeated coup that martyred 240 people and injured 2,200, according to Turkish authorities.

Wall Street Journal, on the other hand, described the meeting as a "remarkable rally" and used the headline "Turks Mass in Rally to Celebrate Thwarted Coup Attempt."

All three media outlets quoted Erdogan at least once and said that more than one million people gathered, although the Turkish authorities put the number at close to 5 million.

One of best selling American newspapers, USA Today used the headline "Massive crowd rallies for democracy in Turkey," quoting Erdogan through Anadolu Agency.

While several U.S. mainstream media outlets covered the event, CNN -- which had covered the 2013 anti-government Gezi protests with an 8-hour live special broadcast -- did not publish any story over the rally on its website.

Some major news organizations such as New York Times, Washington Post and ABC News used the AP's story.