On July 16, PIA news agency and Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda published identical materials about the military coup attempt in Turkey. Specifically, both published articles headlined “Erdogan accuses U.S. of organizing the military coup”. Later PIA changed this headline and made it “Erdogan accuses cleric of organizing the military coup”.
In articles with both original and edited headlines PIA named Reuters information as its source. Both Reuters news and PIA article speak about Erdogan’s accusation towards Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen who resides in Pennsylvania. According to the President of Turkey, he was giving orders from Pennsylvania. PIA’s original headline, later changed by the agency, differed from the text of the news, since President Erdogan accused not United States, but one specific person residing in America.
Identical misleading material headlined “Erdogan accuses U.S. of organizing coup d’état in Turkey” is still online on the website of Komsomolskaya Pravda.
