The Presidency's Head of Communications, Fahrettin Altun, stated in his speech at the First TRT Spanish-Speaking Countries Broadcast Summit and TRT Spanish launch event, which took place in a hotel in İstanbul, that the summit began yesterday with the International Journalism Workshop and will continue today with sessions attended by expert panellists in the field.
Altun stated that they have launched the "TRT Spanish Digital News Platform" today and expressed his hope that TRT Spanish will be beneficial and auspicious to all humanity, both in Türkiye and in Spanish-speaking countries.
Emphasising that TRT Spanish is one of the practical extensions and tangible results of Türkiye's Communication Model, which they are working hard to develop, Head of Communications Altun said: "Türkiye's Communication Model, which we institutionalised with our President's "communication mobilisation," has been shaped with the goals of contributing to our global struggle for rights and justice on the one hand and announcing Türkiye's rightful arguments to the entire world on the other. In line with this model, the Directorate of Communications, Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, Anadolu Agency and Press Advertisement Agency continue their work and struggle for rights, justice and truth in the national and international arena."
Head of Communications Altun stated that the 19th-century Western literary figure Alfred de Musset used the phrase "All the evils of the present come from two causes. The first one is that what existed in the past is not there anymore. The second one is that nothing of future has emerged yet." He emphasised that these statements essentially express the stuckness and helplessness that modern man has felt since the dawn of modernity.
Underscoring that despite all modernist narratives, even in the Western world today, societies are unable to produce institutional solutions to the acceleration of history and space, Altun said:
"In this era of accelerating history and space, societies face two fundamental challenges. First, the ability to establish stable sociopolitical systems. The second challenge is to establish a trust-based network of social and intercommunal relationships. Building healthy communication bridges between societies is critical to addressing both challenges."
Altun stated that they could not ignore the global exploitation order that existed alongside the institutionalised Western world system that emerged after the nineteenth century. If they are to make a start in the struggle for global rights and justice, he said, they can do so by increasing inter-communal relations and interactions through a mutual and well-functioning communication bridge.
"Our struggle aims to bring an end to this colonial order and establish global justice."
Head of Communications Altun stated that, while the absence of a healthy inter-communal communication system is not the primary cause of global injustice, the scarcity and weakness of mutual and well-functioning communication bridges in inter-communal relations exacerbate global injustice. Altun continued: "Today, let us take a moment to observe the atrocities we encounter on a global scale. If it were not for the deafening noise of the oppressors, these atrocities would have no grounds for justification. This oppressive order would come to an end if the oppressed had the opportunity to speak out and have their voices heard, and if humanity took the time to listen and comprehend their plight."
Emphasising that they have to establish a global system in which societies can communicate in an authentic and effective way, Head of Communications Altun continued:
"First and foremost, it is crucial for us to develop a deeper understanding of one another as communities. One point must be expressed unequivocally. Prejudice is our biggest enemy. Prejudice fuels the cycle of exploitation. It is impossible to create a system of exploitation without prejudice. Regrettably, the current global system of exploitation is built on prejudice. By eliminating prejudices, it is possible to dismantle systems of exploitation. To achieve this, establishing strong lines of communication is crucial. It is multilateral communication that we are emphasising, not unilateral communication. Can there be justice in a world where the West speaks while the rest of the world remains silent and only listens to the West, where the West creates discourses and the non-Western world consumes them? No, there cannot be. It would only serve to strengthen, entrench, and institutionalise the Western colonial order. Our struggle aims to bring an end to this colonial order and establish global justice."
"TRT's worldwide digital news channels have more than 44 million followers"
Pointing out that they believe international broadcasting of TRT, in other words, expanding the range of broadcasts in different languages, is also an important factor in this respect, Head of Communications Altun continued:
"TRT has made significant advancements in the realm of international broadcasting. TRT French, TRT Balkan (which broadcasts in three languages), and TRT Africa (which broadcasts in four languages) were all established and launched over the past two years. These recently launched channels have, as we can see, quickly amassed millions of followers.
According to the information I received from my colleagues, TRT's worldwide digital news channels have more than 44 million followers. I believe that our TRT Spanish Digital News Platform, which we have launched today, will generate the same level of interest."
Altun emphasised that they consider a world inhabited by people who are indifferent to each other's problems to be the greatest disaster that humanity will face and said:
"Wael B. Hallaq referred to this when he stated: 'It is encounters that shape us, that define who we are. They are responsible for the world as we know it. Without encounter, without the encounter of people, societies, and cultures, nothing is possible'. He discusses how a world where people are indifferent to one another leads to hardship and oppression. We have to make these encounters more understandable and visible without excluding or marginalising them. We must make human interactions and intercultural encounters more visible."
The Head of Communications, Altun, remarked that broadcasting in a widely spoken language like Spanish can provide people with new opportunities and diverse perspectives.
"Standardised publishing practices are not acceptable in the field of international publishing"
Stating that digital public broadcasting, which diversifies the international media landscape, also plays a role in preventing systematic disinformation from spreading uncontrollably and oppressing people and societies, The Head of Communications Altun went on to say,
"By means of scholarly and comprehensive publications, global disinformation sources can be shattered and public awareness increased. Due to this particular reason, I strongly believe that TRT Spanish will serve as a formidable alternative to Western-centred international broadcasting. We should not tolerate the dominance of global broadcasting by a handful of major Western media corporations. Standardised publishing practices are not acceptable in the field of international publishing.
In this regard, TRT Spanish will contribute to efforts to promote diversity and multiculturalism in international broadcasting. We will have the opportunity to share Türkiye's foreign policy, which promotes peace and justice, with a wider audience and present its rightful arguments. We will enhance the visibility of our country's economic, cultural, and human potential while continuing to strengthen the bonds of friendship we have established with numerous Latin American nations."
Altun stated that some of his friends and colleagues in the West find these efforts to establish justice in international broadcasting and shatter the global media monopoly unsettling and said, "In reality, yesterday we came across a number of publications in several Western media outlets that expressed reservations about the establishment of TRT Spanish and the fact that Türkiye was taking these steps because it believed the Western media to be 'discriminatory, marginalising, and standardising.' Undoubtedly, we recognise their unease, but it will not discourage us from pursuing our righteous mission."
"We do not accept that pessimism is destined to rule the world"
The Head of Communications Altun emphasised that the global community requires more information sources than ever before, as well as the promotion of friendly relations between countries and fair and equitable alternative perspectives.
The Head of Communications Altun quoted the Uruguayan writer and journalist Eduardo Galeano: "The twentieth century, which was born proclaiming peace and justice, died bathed in blood. It passed on a world much more unjust than the one it inherited. The twenty-first century, which also arrived heralding peace and justice, is following in its predecessor’s footsteps." He further stated, "As Türkiye, we strongly disagree with this pessimism as portrayed by Galeano and we do not accept that pessimism is destined to rule the world." Our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's call for global justice, which was articulated succinctly as 'The world is bigger than five' and 'A fairer world is possible', is clear evidence. Our opposition to this global injustice is fundamentally a proclamation of hope for humanity's future."
"We maintain a vigil of truth"
Stating that they oppose an order in which the oppressor persecutes the oppressed, citing the genocide in Gaza as the most recent example, Head of Communications Altun said, "Groups with malicious motives, such as Israel, are disturbed by our stand against this unfairness of the global system, our shouting of the truth in the face of injustice, and our support for justice. These malicious groups seek to distort the truth and deepen their oppression through terror, genocide, and systematic campaigns of lies and disinformation."
Head of Communications Altun stated that they established a new media channel here today and said:
"We have to denounce Israel for killing journalists today, the day we launched the media channel. We must condemn Israel and proclaim unequivocally that Israel is killing the news and the truth by murdering journalists who strive to broadcast the truth to the entire world. We honour the memory of over 140 courageous journalist brothers who were martyred in Gaza. May Allah have mercy on them. They are the real media heroes."
Declaring that Israel will face trial and penalties for its atrocities, Head of Communications Altun said, "Regardless of their actions, our stance remains clear regarding the Palestinian cause. We stand with the truth. We stand with the innocent journalists who were murdered. Türkiye has always been the biggest supporter of a sovereign, independent and territorially integral Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Türkiye has strongly underlined and will continue to underline that the establishment of this state can bring peace to the region. We maintain a vigil of truth. We are fighting for the truth, and that is the focus of our efforts here."
Head of Communications Altun emphasised that the TRT Spanish Digital News Platform is also related to this effort and that it will continue the vigil of truth in the strongest way on different continents, before different countries and societies.
TRT Spanish launches its broadcasting services
The programme was attended by TRT Director General Mehmet Zahid Sobacı, Istanbul Deputy Governor Hasan Hüseyin Can, AK Party Istanbul Deputy Nilhan Ayan, AK Party Şanlıurfa Deputy Abdürrahim Dusak, and national and international media representatives.
Head of Communications Altun, TRT Director General Sobacı, and top executives of media institutions from 18 Spanish-speaking nations launched the TRT Spanish Digital Platform and provided the first news of the platform during the programme, which also featured a promotional video of TRT Spanish.
Head of Communications Altun presented plaques to the people with whom they collaborated in this context during the programme.
The TRT Spanish launch programme concluded with a family photo of the Head of Communications Altun and the accompanying party.
The first TRT Spanish-Speaking Countries Broadcast Summit continues with panels.
