Head of the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Department, Fahrettin Altun, said that Turkey’s Anti-Disinformation Center plays a very important role in exposing disinformation campaigns and false information within the framework of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
This came on Monday in a speech at the opening of the 51st edition of the Association of Asian and Pacific News Agencies (OANA) conference, which was hosted by Anadolu Agency at its headquarters in Istanbul.
Altun pointed out that this meeting provides the opportunity to discuss issues related to disinformation and information warfare in light of the latest developments in the region.
He said, “The role of journalists and media institutions is very important in an era dominated by uncertainty and tensions.”
He noted that the responsibilities of journalists are not limited only to preparing news, but also include confronting dangerous disinformation campaigns launched by various parties.
He added: “We have seen that in the absence of responsible journalism, misinformation can exacerbate existing crises and endanger human lives and the social order.”
He continued: “But let us be clear, the struggle for the truth is not only the responsibility of our colleagues in the journalism sector. As consumers of information, each one of us must be vigilant and cautious about misleading information, especially in this digital age.”
He pointed out that “facts are the first victim of wars and conflicts,” and said that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict reveals how important it is to combat disinformation at the international level.
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He touched on the importance of the role played by the Anti-Disinformation Center of the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Department in exposing misleading information in the context of the recent Israeli-Palestinian escalation.
He stated that preliminary data indicate that 74% of the verified Twitter (X) accounts published misleading information in the first days of the Israeli-Palestinian escalation.
He pointed out that the same thing was observed in the first days of the war in Ukraine, and continued, “This situation may continue to appear in future conflicts in different parts of the world.”
He pointed out that the Turkish Center for Combating Disinformation plays a very important role in exposing disinformation campaigns and false information within the framework of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He added: “We are doing our best to prevent information wars from becoming a new front in this conflict.”
He added: “If there is any hope of ending tensions and hostilities, then those who fight disinformation and false information play an important role in that.”
For the seventeenth day, the Israeli army continues to target Gaza with intense air strikes that destroyed entire neighborhoods, killing 5,087 Palestinians, including 2,055 children and 1,119 women, and wounding 15,273 people, according to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip. There is also an unspecified number of missing people under the rubble.
While the Hamas movement killed more than 1,400 Israelis and wounded 5,132, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health, it also captured more than 200 Israelis, including high-ranking military personnel.
