Presidency's Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun spoke at the TRT World Forum 2024 held at the Istanbul Congress Center in a session titled "Media Distortion Exposed: Uncovering the Forces Behind Polarisation" at TRT World Forum 2024.
The Head of Communications Altun stated that the title of the session contained a strong claim regarding the media's biased stance. He explained that according to the modern Western paradigm, media is valuable and necessary because it is supposed to guarantee individuals’ right to access information The Head of Communications indicated that media is the fourth estate that is a mechanism above politics.
He added that historically, the media has added to its news delivery mission the functions like entertainment and advertisement sales, and went on to say, "In this process, has the media provided individuals with a healthy flow of information? Have people been able to access and freely disseminate information through the media in a healthy manner? No. Mainstream media outlets have conveyed selected, filtered, and edited information and news to society. They managed this process in accordance with the interests of the power mechanisms they were subject to. They presented the information they wanted in the way they preferred and concealed what they did not wish to show. And in doing so, they cloaked themselves with an armor of untouchability. They did not share truth, reality, or accurate information but only fragments of the truth. Ultimately, the information they provided was not truthful; it was distorted."
The Head of Communications noted that conventional media in the analogue era fueled political and ideological polarization in different countries and societies and stated that today’s communication and media regime, of course, is nothing like it was in the 19th or 20th centuries.
The Head of Communications Altun indicated that we have transitioned from the analog media and communication regime to a digital one. He further stated that although this new regime offers many new possibilities, when they look at the bigger picture, they, unfortunately, see that the dominance of distorted information over genuine information persists in this new era as well.
"They systematically produced disinformation."
The Head of Communications Altun said that in the digital media environment, it was claimed that individuals and media consumers would produce content, democratize information, and centrifugal structure of information flows would allow more space for the non-Western world’s perspectives. He went on to say, "Has that been the case? Clearly, no. This time, global media corporations and social media platforms began to ideologically steer global communication flows. They spread distorted information. They systematically produced disinformation. Their biased stance has worsened the crises of justice and truth in the global communication domain. And along with all this, through their partisan approach, they deepened polarization and divisions on a global scale."
The Head of Communications Altun highlighted that all of this should be considered severe human rights violations and went on to say,
"This is the proposal I am making before you. Today’s dominant digital and analog news conglomerates reproduce manipulative and distorted information repeatedly. I propose that we define this practice a violation of fundamental human rights. Genuine information is one of the most fundamental components of individuals’ participation in public life, social and economic activities as well as political life. In this respect, accessing genuine, accurate, and truthful information and freely disseminating it is a fundamental human right. Today, both major global conventional media companies and social media platforms serve to sustain and legitimize the Western exploitative order and the unjust international system."
The Head of Communications Altun stressed that they need to acknowledge that they are now facing a regime of digital fascism, and said, " Unfortunately, we also face digital dictators trying to uphold this fascist regime. Their primary strategy is to colonize and exploit everyday life—our daily lives. To achieve this goal, they promote an artificial culture of hyper-consumption. They strive to maintain a digital addiction system that numbs people. Through covert censorship and subtle promotion mechanisms, they aim to induce changes in political behavior. In all these processes, they seek to exempt themselves from the oversight, regulation, and legal interventions of non-Western states, positioning themselves above the law to avoid accountability."
The Head of Communications Altun stated that with the transition from the era of conventional media tools to the era dominated by digital media tools, they see that the media has not only fueled political and ideological polarizations but also contributed to social polarizations.
"Individuals of the new era are confronted with the “obligation to express” their political identities"
The Head of Communications Altun pointed out that this situation threatens the sense of peace, dialogue, and coexistence in the social realm, and added, "Individuals of the new era are confronted with the “obligation to express” their political identities in the public sphere through digital media platforms. This is a new form of fascism. As Roland Barthes puts it, “Fascism is not the prohibition of speech but the obligation to speak.”
The Head of Communications remarked that the claim of impartiality, even in the traditional media era, has been used as a tool to conceal power asymmetries in society and in the international arena and stated that this was essentially a situation that had to do with the powerful’s expectation of “consent” and “participation” from the weak.
The Head of Communications Altun highlighted that after 1945, when the United States emerged as the leader of Western global dominance and took the stage as the leading force of the West, the traditional Western colonial system of the 19th century was reformulated. He added that the traditional Western colonial system of the 19th century was based on plundering of the wealth of the non-Western world through coercion.
The Head of Communications Altun noted that during the interwar period, societies subjected to exploitation initiated a wave of liberation, which became a major challenge for Western global hegemony, and further stated that faced with this challenge, the post-World War II American hegemony adopted an understanding aimed at making the non-Western world dependent by giving them a share of the global system. And a new international system was built.
The Head of Communications indicated that in this system, the non-Western world was asked to consent to the Western hegemony led by America, and added that the mainstream media in the West and the pro-Western media outside the West tried to institutionalize this dependency relationship and create “consent” mechanisms in the process.
The Head of Communications Altun stated that the discourse of impartiality became the shield of the mainstream media during this process and pointed out that the truth was that the media has been a partisan entity aiming to reinforce Western global dominance.
The Head of Communications Altun remarked that today, this pursuit of consent and the discourse of impartiality have become a luxury or perhaps even a burden for the dominant Western communication and media regime. He added that the global information regime dominated by Western media is no longer attempting to establish an environment of consent in the non-Western world.
The search for impartiality has been replaced by efforts to rally supporters.
The Head of Communications Altun noted that in recent years, this picture has changed, and in the mainstream Western media, politically correct language directed toward non-Western societies, the “victimized,” the “oppressed,” and the “subaltern” has started to disappear. The search for impartiality has been replaced by efforts to rally supporters.
The Head of Communications underlined that anti-Islamic sentiment and xenophobic propaganda, once marginal, have become the norm for mainstream media outlets and that the idea of Western superiority and arguments suggesting that the non-Western world has become a burden for the West have regained popularity.
The Head of Communications said that this process began during the pandemic and went on to say,
“It accelerated with the Russia-Ukraine war and reached its peak with Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Today, we are witnessing a massive genocide unfolding before our eyes. While this genocide is taking place in front of the entire world, the Western media focuses on promoting Israel as a crucial ally for the Western world. Without feeling the need for a politically correct language, they do everything they can to justify Israel’s actions. They circulate blatant hate speech not only against Gazans or Palestinians but against all Muslims. They strive to rally more supporters for the ‘white man’. They have abandoned the approach of fostering participation in the system; and reverted to crude exploitation and occupation. Instead of building consent, they are working to create a climate of fear.”
The Head of Communications Altun stated that the conventional and digital media actors are as responsible for the injustices, polarizations, and sufferings in the global arena as the perpetrators themselves, and added, "I must also confess that I have always found the claim of impartiality misplaced. For me, what is valuable is the pursuit of objectivity. What matters is integrity. Throughout my academic life and during my engagement with media studies, this has always been my stance."
"This system must change"
The Head of Communications underlined that the compass of the media should be justice and truth, and added, "Today, in the face of crimes against humanity, wars, terrorism, irregular migration, financial turmoil, food, and supply chain crises—including the genocide in Gaza—the media does not act as an advocate for the “righteous,” but as a propagandist for the “powerful.” This system must change. Just as our President declares that a fairer world is possible, we assert that a fairer global media environment is both possible and essential. And we invite you to heed this call and work together toward this goal."
Following the panel, Head of Communications Altun expressed his gratitude to everyone who contributed to organizing the program and participated in it through a post on his social media account.