For all his charisma, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has never had an easy relationship with the media. As mayor of Istanbul in the 1990s, he suffered slighting commentary from urbane columnists who mistrusted his Islamist origins and populist touch. As prime minister, he has been apt to sue offending writers and ­cartoonists.

But Mr Erdogan’s latest confrontation with Aydin Dogan, the billionaire owner of more than half Turkey’s print and broadcast media, is more than a personal feud.