In a post shared on his social media account, Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun warned about being sensitive in posts about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Emphasizing that journalists and media organizations not only need to report accurate information but also fight disinformation campaigns conducted by all sorts of groups, Director of Communications Altun warned, saying, "However, 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. While the main goal of misinformation and disinformation campaigns is swaying the public opinion one way or another, consumers of news have responsibilities as well."
Indicating that the age of social media has turned large audiences into active participants in dissemination of both accurate and fake news, Director of Communications Altun noted:
We all have an interest in the spread of truthful information. Disinformation is not an innocent exercise and those who participate in it unwittingly must understand that they have a responsibility too. 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.
As the Directorate of Communications, we work 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. 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."