Turkish broadcaster fired for appearing with cup from purportedly pro-Israel Starbucks
Misplaced cup from ubiquitous coffee chain leads to termination of anchor and director from pro-government news network following viewer backlash
Meltem Günay, an anchor on the Turkish pro-Erdogan television station TGRT, was dismissed Sunday after she appeared on the news with a Starbucks coffee cup.
Turkish viewers were infuriated by what they construed as Günay’s endorsement of the coffee conglomerate, which many in the Muslim world perceive as pro-Israel.
In a statement, the network claimed that Günay and the news segment’s director were both fired due to inappropriate product placement. The network noted that it is “aware of the sensitivities of the Turkish people regarding Gaza and defends them till the end,” saying that it would never approve a broadcast to the contrary.
It added that it “strongly condemns the actions” of both the anchor and director, the network announced their contracts had been terminated.
Starbucks has been slapped with boycotts in the Muslim world for perceived support of Israel in its ongoing war on Palestinian terror group Hamas.
Though the company does not operate in Israel, its upper management has earned a pro-Israel image by pushing back against an anti-Israel statement made by one of its workers unions in the war’s early days.
In October, the company sued Starbucks Workers United for using the Starbucks logo in a statement that expressed support for the Palestinians, while failing to condemn Hamas’s brutal October 7 onslaught on Israel. The onslaught saw about 3,000 terrorists invade Israel to kill some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and take over 240 hostages.
