Global Courant
The author is a political analyst.
ISTANBUL
Questions about journalistic ethics, impartiality, professionalism and integrity have clouded the coverage of international media outlets and journalists about Turkey and its political dynamics over the past few years.
A striking recent example is the fake report by Reuters after false allegations that anti-corruption authorities in the US and Sweden were investigating a complaint by the Swedish branch of a US company that the Turkish President’s son was committed to paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes if he had a son. . Recep Tayyip Erdogan helped him gain a dominant market position in the country.
It is understood that exclusive news based on research effort is the undoubted pursuit of every media organization that aims to present unique and valuable news to its audience.
However, many news agencies make the fatal mistake of intentionally or accidentally applying little or no basic verification to the claims they make to their audiences.
Instead, they sometimes rely solely on other media reports, and these reports often only cite other media reports.
The origin of the Reuters report is based on the assertion of what the author calls “a person familiar with the subject”, although it is once traced back through an intricate chain of links.
Undoubtedly, this method is not valid, reliable or accurate from a journalistic and professional point of view. Rather, it is nothing more than a thinly sourced claim from a person or organization.
It is quite confusing, ironic and paradoxical, to such an extent that one can hardly digest it; Reuters clearly and provocatively states that it does not confirm the allegations on which it bases the entire news. One wonders how a 171-year-old international media agency has jeopardized its reputation and credibility.
Among other ethical and structural flaws of this type of Reuters’ journalism, the lack of validation convinces reporters to cite their claims and content, making them easy targets for crooks and others seeking credibility and traffic.
In Turkey, the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) is famous for such tactics. Recently, Germany arrested two Turkish journalists working for Sabah newspaper, following a complaint made by FETO members.
The reporters were later released when it was revealed that FETO was trying to defame the news source.
In this context, coincidence, innocence or impartiality can hardly be perceived in Reuters’ news. Interestingly, Reuters’ news comes at a sensitive time in bilateral relations between Ankara and Stockholm.
Turkey has pursued Sweden’s bid to join NATO, accusing the Scandinavian country of providing shelter for alleged terrorists and claiming that its membership application will be suspended until Sweden takes concrete measures to support Turkey’s fight against the PKK terrorist group and agrees to swiftly extradite the suspects. blocked. .
The timing of the Reuters report is also not just a coincidence, as it comes days before the NATO summit in Lithuania and raises questions about the main actors in the story: American and Swedish companies and “who knows”.
Investigative reporting and ethics
Investigative reporting requires special attention to objectivity and fairness. When a journalist portrays a person or an entity in a negative way, he or she must make a genuine effort to get a response from the other party.
In this story, Reuters – which may sound a bit ridiculous for a well-established news agency – says it has not been able to independently verify whether President Erdogan and his son Bilal were aware of or were involved in the alleged bribery scheme.
This leaves the story as little more than a fictitious scenario based on one person’s claims and some internal memos and emails.
In principle, when a news source plans to publish data, it should begin with painstaking efforts to verify and verify the integrity of the dataset and seek ways to correct any inaccuracies.
Objectivity involves inclusivity, so any story that excludes or overlooks facts of great importance is not fair, nor can it be fair if it misleads or deceives the reader.
No commissions were ultimately paid, and the Swedish company abruptly abandoned the project late last year, basically destroying the premise and narrative of the entire story, the Reuters report revealed.
Is it real or viral content?
In late 2016, Oxford Dictionaries chose “beyond the truth” as its word of the year and defined it as “pertaining to or expressing situations in which objective facts are less effective in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotions and personal belief”.
It is aimed that news sources and agencies play a decisive role in disseminating quality and accurate information to their target audiences.
This is made more difficult by the ambush of personal agendas, deception, misinformation, and other types of erroneous content flowing relentlessly through news platforms.
Journalists today must take an oath of commitment to separate fact from fiction and review the mass of content produced to help spread the truth.
Their main goal should be to check the facts and spread the right information, not the number of viewers or the popularity of their platform.
Unfortunately, this is not the current reality of how news outlets handle false claims, online rumors and intentionally produced content.
Lies spread much faster and farther than the truth, and news organizations play a powerful role in making this happen without disproving and scrutinizing the content.
Traditionally, media agenda-setting has two main areas: it reports the news and tacitly or explicitly guides the audience on what to think about the news.
Media coverage sends various messages and calls to audiences about the importance of a particular story, while framing the news prompts naive audiences to a specific response.
The Reuters news clearly and unequivocally aims to slander President Erdoğan and his son, despite all the concrete evidence that refutes and refutes the unfounded claims.
watchdog
Professional media outlets agree that a protective shield for watchdogs is an unavoidable necessity.
With the unlimited amount of information available, verification is an ethical and professional obligation that should happen by default.
A set of hedging languages and attribution formulations – “reportedly”, “claims”, “anonymous source”, etc., to convey the unverified nature of information. – It is not an ethical and professional way to use it.
The rise of “fake news” and the spread of manipulated narratives online poses a serious challenge for publishers and platforms.
The real question is whether reliable methods will emerge in the next decade to thwart false narratives and ensure that the most accurate information prevails.
Or will the quality and accuracy of online information deteriorate due to the dissemination of unreliable, sometimes even dangerous, socially destabilizing ideas?
Only a part of the news presented to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS) and in summary form are available on the Anadolu Agency website. Please contact us for subscription options.
