Fighting disinformation everyone's duty: Turkish Communications Director

During times of tension and conflict, journalists and media organisations face a particularly challenging task: they must report accurate information while countering disinformation campaigns conducted by various groups, said Türkiye's communications director.

"While the main goal of misinformation and disinformation campaigns is swaying the public opinion one way or another, consumers of news have responsibilities as well," Fahrettin Altun said on X on Tuesday.

He called on all media and relevant civil society organisations to create common initiatives focusing on addressing both the supply and demand side of fake news.

"Disinformation is not an innocent exercise and those who participate in it unwittingly must understand that they have a responsibility too," he stressed.

He criticised the spread of information without checking the sources and content, and said that it is "a serious disservice to our fellow citizens."

Underlining the importance of insisting on truth and fighting misinformation, he expresses, that the Directorate of Communications "work hard to strengthen media literacy of the Turkish public through many initiatives."

The spread of fake news amid Israel-Palestine conflict

Earlier last week, a baseless instance of misinformation that quickly spread worldwide, showed the challenges surrounding information propagation amidst the intensified Israel-Palestine conflict.

It was alleged that Hamas fighters had beheaded Israeli babies during the early Saturday morning attack it had launched from Gaza.

Later, it emerged that this assertion lacked any factual basis.

Even the US President Joe Biden made remarks in which he claimed he had seen "confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children".

The start of the Israel-Palestine conflict

The Israel-Palestine conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al Aqsa Flood against Israel – a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air.

Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within Gaza.

Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering more than 1 million Palestinians in the northern Gaza to evacuate to the southern side of the enclave.