Türkiye’s Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun on Tuesday emphasized the need for a new approach to communication to “side with the truth.”
“We must build a new approach in communication and media against attempts to damage the bond between both Türkiye and Greece, as well as international public, and truth, righteousness, morality and humanity,” Altun said as he addressed via video link the Turkish-Greek Media and Academy Forum held in Athens.
The event, organized jointly with the Turkish Studies Foundation and the Institute of Global Affairs, followed a landmark visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the Greek capital last week, where the archrivals sought to bury the hatchet and inked over a dozen cooperation deals.
Praising the opening of a “new page” in Turkish-Greek ties crowned with the Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good Neighborliness signed by Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Altun hailed “many opportunities to increase cooperation” between the NATO allies in fields like trade, transportation, energy, health and education.
“I believe we have no problems that cannot be overcome with our close neighbor Greece,” Altun stressed, noting that the pair share a common past and a similar culture.
“This common willingness will create many opportunities based on mutual trust that will benefit our countries and region,” Altun said and pointed to academicians, media members and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to shoulder the mission of keeping communication channels open.
There has been an effort in recent years to discredit many ethical principles and established rules in media and communication venues, Altun went on.
“We must side with the truth against these,” he said.
Alluding to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless Israeli bombardment for over two months, Altun said: “This has proven once again just how destructive unreal and manipulative media content the public is exposed to can be.”
“Verifying the reliability of news in circulation is vital for a more democratic, fair and peaceful world,” he added.
The communications directorate has a Countering Disinformation Center, which regularly debunks rampant disinformation in a weekly bulletin. It has been disproving widespread fake news and lies about the war on Gaza and Israel’s attacks on Palestinian civilians since the conflict broke out on Oct. 7, including false reports about the location of Hamas headquarters, and the shooting of fleeing Palestinians.
