Hate speech among 'most fundamental' problems of media: Turkish official

Hate speech is one of the "most fundamental" problems of media, and needs to be combatted as it targets social peace, the Turkish communications director said on Wednesday.

"Hate speech is among the most fundamental problems of the media in our country as it is in the world. We are witnessing that the increasing hate speech in the online media can poison social peace, political culture, family values, cultural dynamics, and mutual respect in Türkiye," Fahrettin Altun told a panel on combating hate speech in online media in the capital Ankara.

Altun said hateful news and hate speech are one of the reasons why the truth is manipulated by lies in today's world where digitalization has become widespread.

In almost every country in the world, this type of discourse that promotes violence, hostility, humiliation, and discrimination leads to a climate of hatred, he added.

"Hate speech must be combated both in the media and at the institutional level," he also said.

In many studies, it was revealed that Türkiye is the country most exposed to disinformation in the world, Altun noted, adding: "Confidence in online media has dropped by 5% to 36% in 2022, compared to 2021. 64% of society does not trust digital media. The most important reason for this situation is distortion and false content.

"So, the most important source of hate speech in the online media in our country is the content under a distortion-lie category," he stressed.

Altun emphasized that hate speech in online media needs to be combatted through a strategy with individual, social, and political dimensions.