Journalist Canan Kaya: Turkey has become a laboratory for manipulation

Speaking at the "Seeking Truth in the Age of Disinformation" talk held at the 1st Balıkesir Book Fair, co-organized by the Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality and the Balıkesir City Council, investigative journalist Canan Kaya shed light on the manipulations facilitated by digitalization, alongside its conveniences. "I say this with great regret, but these manipulations are often provided by governments, political parties, and state authorities," Kaya said. "Moreover, they are investing in these areas. Turkey has become a laboratory center for this," she added.

Starting her speech by saying, "We are no longer in an age of information abundance, but of truth scarcity," Canan Kaya continued: "We are in a period where it is not information, but manipulators and those who spread disinformation that are powerful. Troll accounts, bots, and algorithms are used to do this. These have also started to be used in wars. In the Ukraine-Russia war, they spread manipulation with fake videos they produced. They disseminated videos generated by artificial intelligence through fake accounts."

RECALLED THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Citing the 2023 General Elections in Turkey as an example of what she described, journalist Kaya said: "Look at what happened in Turkey during the 2023 general elections. TRT is a state channel; it survives on our taxes and is supposed to be impartial. However, fake videos were produced on TRT screens using artificial intelligence, in which the candidate of the Nation Alliance was smeared with black propaganda, accused of collaborating with the PKK, and featured fake clips where PKK leaders were made to say, 'You must vote for the Nation Alliance candidate.' Furthermore, these videos were shown on TRT screens. These videos were played to people at rally squares. This was a terrible thing."

'JOURNALISTS CANNOT FIGHT THIS ALONE'

Emphasizing that information flows every second through smartphones, Canan Kaya warned: "We have difficulty distinguishing which is true and which is false. The reason for this is that, alongside the conveniences digitalization provides to our lives, it has unfortunately become a hub where manipulators run wild. I say this with great regret, but this is often provided by governments, political parties, and state authorities. Moreover, they are investing in these areas. Turkey has become a laboratory center for this. I have to express this with an apology. We journalists cannot fight this alone. If we do not fight against disinformation together, our democracy will be completely taken away from us."

CITED GÜLLÜ'S DEATH AS AN EXAMPLE

Stating that the effects of this age of manipulation are beginning to be seen outside of political issues as well, Canan Kaya cited the suspicious death of singer Güllü as an example: "Turkey was shaken by news of a death very recently. The death of arabesque singer Güllü. It was recorded as a suspicious death. Such deaths are always investigated as suspicious deaths. However, the judicial authorities and journalists are the ones who should be following the investigation here. Yet, from the very first day, accounts and channels with no evidence in hand first declared her son the murderer. Then they declared her daughter the murderer. They have no concrete evidence. A woman broadcasting from abroad in her pajamas tried to solve the case. Then why do the judiciary, the police, and journalists exist? This could happen to you too. A significant number of people believed those children were the murderers. And at the end of the day, they fought to prove they were murderers. Can you see the power of disinformation? I couldn't believe it. We were not such a society. We were a society that questioned, researched, and had a tendency to learn. This issue is a great danger that closely affects ordinary people as well."

'WE LIVE IN A COUNTRY WHERE EVEN DENIALS ARE DENIED'

Stating that she does not believe the government has the will or intention to solve the problem of disinformation, Canan Kaya said, "The government is conducting disinformation in this country through the state. We live in a country where even denials are denied." She concluded her talk by advising the audience: "When you see content, please question it before making a decision. Ask for the source. Ask why. Try to verify it from different sources. Because we are in a process where we must question every piece of content that appears on our small screens."