Turkish experts are criticizing the Western media's attitude toward Friday's attempted coup, accusing them of misinforming the public.

After the coup attempt, the Turkish people's democratic and civil reactions were labeled "Islamist” and even “jihadist" by some Western media institutions, Burhanettin Duran, a political scientist at the Ankara-based Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

Duran said some Western countries called on Turkey to stick to democracy.

"Turkey doesn’t need such calls because it has democracy already. On the contrary, the FETO [terrorist] organization should be removed from Turkey," he said, referring to the followers of U.S.-based cleric Fetullah Gulen, accused of infiltrating the state and staging the coup.

He said if the coup had succeeded, the international media would have painted the story as Erdogan being “toppled as a dictator.” But since Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party did not fall, the Western media began another disinformation campaign.

Duran accused the Western media of not taking a clear stance against the coup attempt, saying that they want to limit Turkey's will as well as hinder its efforts to cleanse Turkey of the coup-plotters.

[Anadolu Agency, July 21, 2016]