Head of Communications Altun: "We have begun sharing our model for combating disinformation with our international counterparts. At this stage, there have been significant appeals for collaboration with us.''
Presidency's Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun evaluated the activities carried out in the field of communication and public diplomacy at the “Homeland Security, Law and Communication” panel of the XV. Ambassadors Conference organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Noting that with the transition to the Presidential System of Government, the Presidency's Directorate of Communications has become an essential component of public policies in communication, Head of Communications Altun stated that they have been striving to inform the public with accurate, prompt and effective tools from a strategic communication perspective for nearly seven years.
Emphasising that they are exerting intense efforts to combat disinformation and black propaganda that affect the entire world, Head of Communications Altun said that disinformation, black propaganda and fake news are a matter of concern for democracies all over the world and pose a serious threat to the well-being of societies and the future of humanity.
Pointing out that the dominance of social media companies is among the serious challenges, Head of Communications Altun went on to say:
"Although social media companies portray themselves as impartial and objective communication channels in the international arena, as we have all experienced in various circumstances, these social media companies are parties; they are subjects... These are also political actors who have ideologies and ideas on the future and governance of different countries in the world and try to intervene in the democracies of the world through different ways and methods, and they are also structures that operate illegally in many countries."
Head of Communications Altun pointed out that the pace of disinformation has accelerated due to artificial intelligence, and the quality of disinformative content has become stronger and more realistic with deep fake technologies.
The model for combating disinformation has garnered the interest of international counterparts
Head of Communications Altun stated that Türkiye has been the most exposed country to disinformation in recent periods and is facing intense disinformation efforts from both domestic and foreign sources.
Pointing out that disinformation, which has been systematically imposed in processes of significant developments in Türkiye since 2013, seeks to dominate communication networks, Head of Communications Altun noted that they are working to combat the disinformation effectively.
Explaining the establishment of the Centre for Combating Disinformation in this light, Head of Communications Altun stated they have established an effective confirmation centre in a variety of areas, including disinformation concerning the earthquakes that occurred in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, as well as the lies of Israel.
Head of Communications Altun said, ''We combat Israeli lies with anti-deepfake communication technologies based on facts rather than interpretations. We have also begun sharing our model for combating disinformation with our international counterparts. At this stage, there have been significant appeals for collaboration with us.''
Noting that they have started to collaborate with universities in order to massify the combat against disinformation and raise awareness on this issue, Head of Communications Altun reported that student clubs for combating disinformation were established in 39 universities.
Recalling that legal measures have been taken internationally to combat disinformation, and a law known as the "Law on Combating Disinformation" has been enacted in Türkiye, Head of Communications Altun said, ''We are of the opinion that we need new legislative work due to innovations in communication technologies and new needs that have come to the agenda."
Pointing out that disinformation has begun to take place quite intensively in the news material in the conventional media, Head of Communications Altun said, ''We think that the public's digital media literacy should be increased. We are striving to further improve digital media literacy. We have also completed our work to incorporate this into the process of education. We are carrying out a collaborative work with our Ministry of National Education. Throughout the course of training, we will help to inform and raise awareness among each of our students who are interested in digital media literacy.''
Stating that news activism should be carried out to distinguish between truthful news and fake news in the context of combating disinformation, Head of Communications Altun noted the importance of engaging in social media activities and civil society activities in the international arena.
He pointed out that the International Strategic Communication Summit (Stratcom), which the Presidency's Directorate of Communications will host for the fourth time this year, is an essential international network for combating disinformation.
''We aim to internationalise and embrace the Citizen Diplomat project''
Head of Communications Altun, speaking about the Directorate's public diplomacy activities, stated that they think citizens, particularly those active in the international arena, can serve as public diplomacy ambassadors as "citizen diplomats".
Altun stated that they initially began working with athletes in this context, saying, "We aim to internationalise and embrace the Citizen Diplomat project."
Indicating that there is a need for regionally-orientated communication strategies in public diplomacy, Head of Communications Altun noted that they need guidance from ambassadors at this point.
Head of Communications Altun added that a common, unified discourse is critical for properly positioning the international communication strategy.
