Erdoğan's propaganda machine faces ultimate test

Erdoğan's propaganda machine faces ultimate test President Recep Tayyip Erdogan campaign poster from the previous Turkish election, in 2017. He has now been in power for two decades, as president since 2014, and before that prime minister from 2003 to 2014 (Photo: Erik de Haan) By BIRK SEBASTIAN KOTKAS First in Turkey, LGBTQI issues became a banned topic for journalists, then women's rights. The boundaries of what could be written in the once-respected daily Hürriyet were narrowed bit by bit after the newspaper was bought up in 2018 by a family close to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. More:Erdoğan's propaganda machine faces ultimate test