Media imperialism, digital fascism deepens global justice crisis: Türkiye

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye's communications director on Monday decried media imperialism and “digital fascism” as major forces exacerbating the global justice crisis.

"One of the key dynamics deepening the global justice crisis is media imperialism and digital fascism, which affect the entire world," Fahrettin Altun said, speaking at the 2nd Symposium on Copyright of News and Artificial Intelligence in Media.

The symposium, taking place at Istanbul's Bogazici University, was organized by Anadolu and Bogazici with contributions from Türkiye's Culture and Tourism Ministry.

It brought together industry professionals, lawyers, academics, and tech experts to discuss the legal, ethical, and technological challenges emerging from the digitalization of the media.

Key topics included the impact of digitalization on copyrights in the media, as well as the opportunities and risks posed by artificial intelligence in news production processes.

-Protecting journalists' rights

In his opening speech, Altun stressed the importance of protecting the intellectual property rights of journalists and media workers.

He also highlighted the cultural significance of newspapers, noting that journalism has historically enriched intellectual and artistic landscapes.

However, Altun stressed that under current legal frameworks these contributions are often unprotected.

-Unfair media competition

Altun argued for the urgent need to recognize news articles as copyrighted works, particularly in the digital era, saying: "News articles must absolutely be recognized and protected as copyrighted works. This holds true not only in the analog media era but even more urgently in today’s digital media ecosystem, where original news content can be easily and rapidly circulated without permission."

He criticized the unauthorized use of media content by major tech firms, which he said undermines media revenue and fosters unfair competition: "Western digital media companies, social media platforms, and tech giants are unfairly profiting from this situation, creating an environment of unfair competition in the media sector. It is clear that this trend must be stopped. Western media companies perpetuate global injustice and institutionalize it."

-Call for modern digital copyright law

Altun called for an update to Türkiye’s Intellectual and Artistic Works Law, passed in 1952, to better address digital-era challenges.

He proposed a new digital copyright law to align with EU standards and ensure fair compensation for media publishers.

"With implementation of this law, the exploitation by Western social media companies and tech giants will come to an end. Protecting the copyright of news content will strengthen ethical standards in the media and serve as a significant step in combating disinformation and fake news for our citizens, society, and state."

Altun concluded by urging swift legislative action, stressing that protecting journalism's intellectual property is critical to ensuring the integrity and future of the profession while countering misinformation and unethical media practices.