Türkiye's communications director calls for 'common initiatives' to address fake news

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye's communications director on Tuesday urged both media outlets and civil society organizations to launch "common initiatives" to address fake news.

"We call on all media organizations as well as relevant civil society organizations to create common initiatives focusing on addressing both the supply and demand side of fake news. Fighting against disinformation must be a comprehensive effort involving all of us," Fahrettin Altun said on X.

Altun said journalists and media organizations have a challenging job in times of tension and conflict as they "not only need to report accurate information but also fight disinformation campaigns conducted by all sorts of groups."

However, he added, it is not only the job of news professionals to ensure the veracity and credibility of information circulating in traditional and social media channels. "The public needs to pay extra attention and care to the accurateness of news when sharing content," he said.

In the age of social media, Altun said, consumers of news are "often active participants in dissemination of both accurate and fake news."

"Disinformation is not an innocent exercise and those who participate in it unwittingly must understand that they have a responsibility too," he said.

"Amplifying certain messages without checking the sources and the content is a serious disservice to our fellow citizens. If we are truly interested in a society built on truth as opposed to fiction, the public must insist on truth and fight misinformation," the communications director asserted.

He said the Turkish Communications Directorate works hard to "strengthen media literacy" of the Turkish public through many initiatives.

"We operate on the belief that they not only deserve the truth, but they are the very agents that can prevent disinformation campaigns from spreading lies," Altun said.