The annual evaluation meeting of the Media Literacy Coalition was held yesterday (6 January) with the participation of IPS Communication Foundation/bianet, representatives of NGOs that carry out media monitoring work, a Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) representative and academics. The coalition carries out work within the scope of the “Our Media” project of which the foundation is a partner.

The Media Literacy Coalition meeting served as a continuation of the first round table meeting held in January 2024. At the meeting, ideas were exchanged regarding the “Digital Media Literacy Guide” planned to be prepared under the consultancy of Prof. Dr. Yasemin İnceoğlu and with contributions from the coalition team. Details of the “Digital Media Literacy Workshop” to be held on 15 January were also discussed.

Prof. Dr. Nazan Haydari emphasized the necessity to develop a conceptual framework during the preparation of the guide. Haydari drew attention to the importance of the correct definition and naming of processes, and forming of an applicable template.

Prof. Dr. Yasemin İnceoğlu, on the other hand, stated that the guide should adopt an inclusive, participatory and protective approach. İnceoğlu emphasized that the development of resistance against disinformation and ethical content production had to be encouraged.

İnceoğlu: Focus on methods to increase participation necessary

Prof. Dr. Yasemin İnceoğlu emphasized the importance of developing an inclusive theoretical framework. İnceoğlu also drew attention to the necessity of teaching the use of means of verification in combatting disinformation, and of including in the guide methods towards confirming the accuracy of news.

İnceoğlu added that it is necessary to consider narrative techniques, processes of listening to local communities and methods to increase participation in order to strengthen local journalism. She also stated that it would be possible to form a sustainable network with script-based work, feedback mechanisms and mentorship support.

Yıldız Tar: Hate speech deeply tied to disinformation

Yıldız Tar referred to Kaos GL’s 2023 report, stating that 9 out of 10 LGBTİ+ came across speech that targeted their identities every day and that this speech often spread through disinformation targeting gender identities.

Tar stated that especially activities like the “Great Family Rally” did not only contain hate speech but also spread disinformation, drawing attention to the importance of tackling anti-LGBTİ+ discourse with disinformation in the current “post-truth” period.

Elif Erol: Alternative forms of writing must be considered

Elif Erol from the Hrant Dink Foundation pointed out the importance of including the topics of disinformation and information pollution in the “Digital Media Literacy Guide”. She stated that these topics would provide a critical contribution especially in terms of developing verification processes.

Erol emphasized the necessity to consider alternative forms of writing and language to render the guide more effective. She also stated that it could be beneficial to conduct discussions using examples from news sources like bianet in forming counter discourses.

Dilek İçten: Guide may strengthen migration journalism

Dilek İçten from the Media and Migration Association said that the increasing hate speech and disinformation targeting refugees fanned the flames of social tension.

İçten stated that verification studies approached the topic from a technical perspective, and that it was highly important in developing a counter discourse to understand trends in ecosystems and introduce story-telling/narrative methods.

İçten also talked about work carried out within the scope of the Pluralist Media project to strengthen migration reporting and the production of human rights-focused, multidimensional news. In this context, she added that the guide could become an effective tool in producing counter discourse.

Necdet İpekyüz: RTÜK inadequate in media literacy

RTÜK member Necdet İpekyüz emphasized that the collaboration of academic circles, international organizations and civil society institutions was crucial in media literacy work. He stated that there were serious institutional deficiencies in the current work of RTÜK in this field, adding that this formed a significant obstacle in the development of media literacy.

İpekyüz also stated that RTÜK’s media literacy activities continued within a limited scope at present, and that they were restricted particularly to children’s magazines. He added that there were also efforts to expand the field with initiatives in fields such as parental training, media literacy projects for public institutions and public announcements. İpekyüz said that these initiatives proved lacking both in terms of scope and impact. He also added that the absence of an educational bureau within RTÜK made it difficult to effectively organize media literacy work on an institutional level.

İpekyüz reminded that within the scope of Law no. 6112 this duty belonged to the human resources unit, and that a more independent and specialized unit had to be formed in an important field like media literacy.

Digital Media Literacy Workshop

At the end of the meeting, the decision was taken to make contact with teachers from the Teacher Network to consult on the scope and content of the guide, to better determine the target audience for digital media literacy and to develop both short-term and long-term plans. It was also emphasized that the guide must have an updatable structure that also serves as an archive.

Finally, it was stated that, in the forming of the “Digital Media Literacy Guide”, the workshop to be held on January 15 could serve as an important field work and that it would contribute to the present work. The meeting concluded with views stating that this workshop would enable to determine deficiencies in the literacy skills of local, national and digital media members, independent journalists, unemployed journalists, digital content producers and communication and journalism students, and to develop ideas regarding how these deficiencies can be overcome.

Click here to find out how media literate you are.

(VC/NHRD)