Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Saturday of the danger of “digital fascism” on the right to access true and impartial news around the world.
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This came in a video message addressed to the fourth meeting of ministers and high officials overseeing media in the Organization of Turkish States, held under the auspices of the Turkish Presidency’s Communication Department in Istanbul.
President Erdoğan noted that the issues of media, communication, social media and the fight against disinformation are of crucial importance from the political and social standpoints.
Erdogan referred to the operation launched by Azerbaijan in 2020 to liberate its lands occupied by Armenia in the Karabakh region.
He pointed out that the campaigns of lies and slanders (which promoted the lies of the Armenian side) during the Karabakh war showed once again the importance of these issues and the necessity of concerted efforts of the Turkish world in this context.
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President Erdoğan pointed out that “the media, which is described as the fourth power in democracies, can turn into a tool of misleading in the hands of certain global forces and companies, and circles with bad intentions to distort the facts and obscure the truth.”
He added, “Digital fascism has become a threat today, impeding the right of billions of people to access true and impartial news.”
He pointed out that social media in particular poses great risks to societies in the absence of forms of censorship, including self-censorship, in these means and the lack of controls and moral values.
Erdogan stressed the increasing importance of seeking and defending the truth in those means in which lies, slander and distortion spread.
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He pointed out that he considers the issue of communication to be of no less strategic importance than issues such as defense, security and health.
