Head of Communications Duran stated, "The Centre for Combating Disinformation collaborates with all public institutions to rapidly identify fake content and provide accurate information.
In his address at the Anadolu Agency (AA) News Awards Ceremony, held at the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye’s (GNAT) Ceremonial Hall under the auspices of Speaker of the GNAT Numan Kurtulmuş, Head of Communications Burhanettin Duran stated that AA, founded during the National War of Independence on the instructions of Ghazi Mustafa Kemal, had assumed the strategic responsibility of conveying the just cause of the Turkish nation to the entire world in its early years.
Highlighting Anadolu Agency’s growth into one of Türkiye’s most established institutions through its continually strengthening content and editorial policy, Head of Communications Duran stated that the agency, now operating on a global scale, has in recent years emerged as both a powerful voice for truth and a vital record of developments in Türkiye and around the world.
Head of Communications Duran noted, "I wholeheartedly believe that the struggle that began 106 years ago to give voice to our nation's just cause continues today with the responsibility of amplifying the voice of truth against disinformation and manipulation."
Drawing attention to the fact that digital media have largely replaced television and the print media today, Head of Communications Duran added that, even as media platforms change, global actors continue to view the media as a means of ‘standardising the masses’, and that in the past, television, as a means of mass communication, had such a role. Head of Communications Duran conveyed that, in the past, information presented on television was accepted by the public as the absolute truth and that, from time to time, conflicts of interest and ideological priorities were presented as if they were the truth.
Head of Communications Duran noted that, as a unipolar world order emerged after the Cold War, global media became a platform for legitimising military interventions, pointing out that CNN broadcast the 1991 Gulf War live for days in a biased, one-sided manner.
"You exposed those responsible for the killings live”
Head of Communications indicated that CNN’s broadcasts had turned war and death into a form of entertainment for viewers and said, "The weapons experts appearing on screen and the fabricated story of oil-covered cormorants had already manufactured consent in the minds of millions for the bombing of another people." Head of Communications Duran stressed that the Gulf War was a spectacle for people watching from behind their screens, recalling the famous French philosopher Jean Baudrillard saying, "This is a commando ceremony," when he appeared on television during the conflict. Head of Communications Duran noted that whilst this show was being watched on screen, cities were being bombed, yet viewers did not lose their appetite nor did they lose sleep over it. Head of Communications Duran stated that, during wartime, the media shaped societies as it wished through its coverage of events and created the perceptions it sought to establish worldwide, continuing as follows:
“So, are the things I have described still true today? Can events still be constructed one by one, from a single centre and in the one-sided manner I have described? My answer is 'no'. You are familiar with Clausewitz's work ‘On War.’ That book explains how humanity fought using similar methods from the Neolithic period until the invention of firearms. Firearms changed the course and medium of warfare tactics forever. I believe that a similar situation applies to digital platforms today. Despite algorithms and techno-fascism, these platforms have also irreversibly transformed the very nature of content production. If the media, which used fabricated footage to legitimise the bombing of Baghdad during the Gulf War and manufacture public consent, has failed to generate the same consent for Gaza today, this is in no small part thanks to the highly effective use of these platforms by you, our journalists and our Agency. Through your persistent reporting in multiple languages since 7 October, your presence in the war zone, the information you have brought from the ground, and publications such as 'The Evidence, The Witness, and The Perpetrator', you have dismantled a dominant narrative. You did not broadcast death live; you exposed those responsible for the killings live. You broke through a united front that had turned victims and the oppressed into a spectacle without losing a moment’s sleep. If this narrative is more diverse today, and if the truth has found its way into homes and hearts, it is thanks to journalists' dedication and sacrifice.
“We need journalism’s guiding role more than ever”
Head of Communications Duran underlined that those who had turned a blind eye for years to the unlawful blockade of Gaza, the checkpoints that had made life in Palestine a living hell, and the occupiers who called themselves “settlers” were now beginning to see the truth. “I thank our journalists for every oppressed person to whom you have given a voice," said Head of Communications Duran as he commemorated the journalists killed by Israel in the Palestinian territories, particularly Gaza. Head of Communications Duran continued:
“As the Directorate of Communications, we are also working with all our might to bring the truth to light. The Centre for Combating Disinformation works in coordination with all our public institutions to swiftly identify fabricated content and ensure that accurate information is provided. In our view, an issue even more important than disinformation is ensuring that our citizens develop the critical awareness and skills needed for media literacy. We continue to run training programmes and carry out projects in this area. Our primary objective is to strengthen healthy communication in line with the vision of the Century of Türkiye and make our country’s communications ecosystem considerably more robust. As President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stated, 'In a media environment where the distinction between truth and rumour and between reality and perception is becoming increasingly blurred, journalism serves as a compass for society.' In this context, we need journalism’s guiding role more than ever.”
Head of Communications Duran said the Anadolu Agency News Awards played an important role in encouraging quality journalism and recognising professional achievement, adding that the awards also kept alive the hope that journalism committed to pursuing the truth and upholding professional principles would always be supported.
Head of Communications Duran said, "As the Directorate of Communications, we closely monitor the challenges facing journalists and strive to improve their working conditions and professional opportunities. With this understanding, we will continue to support our journalists and media organisations and uphold high-quality, responsible journalism. I would like to believe that journalism still has a bright future, as indeed it should.”
Congratulating the award-winning journalists, Head of Communications Duran also commended everyone involved in establishing the News Awards platform, including the jury members and Anadolu Agency.
Head of Communications Duran expressed his gratitude to Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Numan Kurtulmuş for hosting the Anadolu Agency News Awards under his auspices.
