Süleyman İrvan issues warnings on the proper use of media power during elections

Üsküdar University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan emphasized that the media must use its power correctly during election processes and utilize its status as the fourth estate in the interest of society.

Stating that the media is obligated to defend democratic values and convey diverse viewpoints, İrvan noted, "It must avoid false, fabricated, and distorted news aimed at manipulating voters' decisions. The media must use the status of the fourth estate attributed to it in the interest of society."

GOOD MEDIA FOR A HEALTHY DEMOCRACY

Noting that a healthy democracy is only possible with good media, İrvan argued that manipulative news produced to influence public opinion in favor of a specific candidate or party damages trust in the media and journalism, and leads to a loss of credibility for democracy.

Stating that journalistic ethics gain even more importance during election processes, İrvan emphasized that the media is, above all, obligated to convey facts without distortion in accordance with the public's right to information.

"IT BECOMES MORE IMPORTANT DURING ELECTION PERIODS"

Stating that journalistic ethics gain even more importance during election processes, İrvan said, "These principles advise journalists to do their jobs correctly, honestly, and fairly. While it is an expected necessity for journalists to act in accordance with these principles under all circumstances, it becomes even more important during election periods when the need for information and news increases. Because it is assumed that informed citizens in democracies can make the most accurate decisions."

Expressing that the most important role assigned to the media in elections is to enlighten society with accurate information and contribute to the formation of voting decisions, İrvan stated that the media has the following responsibilities:

"The responsibility of journalists is to fulfill these duties properly. This is, of course, not very easy. In democracies with many parties and many candidates like Turkey, it is very difficult for the media and journalists to report fairly without acting like a side among parties and candidates. What we generally see is that the media reports in favor of parties and candidates defined as 'winners,' while parties and candidates defined as 'cannot win' are ignored. This is the first problem. The second problem is that a large part of the media broadcasts like party media in favor of certain parties. This situation leads to other parties and candidates having great difficulty in conveying their views to voters, or even not being able to reach them at all if it weren't for social media."

Emphasizing that manipulative news headlines and reports damage trust in the media and journalism and lead to a loss of credibility for democracy, İrvan said that such news alienates the public from politics and discourages voters from casting their ballots.

"DAMAGES TRUST IN JOURNALISM"

Arguing that the media should adhere to ethical principles during elections to perform accurate and impartial journalism, convey different views and voices equally, and look out for the interests of society, İrvan stated the following:

"Manipulative news headlines and reports written to influence public opinion in favor of a certain candidate or party, first and foremost, damage trust in the media and journalism. One of the reasons why the Turkish media's reputation in the eyes of the public is already low is this type of manipulative news. Perhaps a more important risk is the loss of credibility of democracy. Research shows that negative news, especially during election periods, alienates the public from politics and discourages voters from voting. One of the reasons for the decreasing voter turnout in Western countries is the emphasis the media places on this negative reporting."