At the opening of the event, Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Alinur Aktas stated that the program, which is important in terms of developing a common communication language in the Turkic world, is planned within the scope of 2022 Turkic World Capital of Culture.
Stating that people from all age groups are interactive thanks to digital media:
“Digital media brings people together, enables us to establish new friendships, contributes to the recognition of our product and values. On the other hand, it is a network that has been questioned and sought solutions for its many negative aspects such as making people addicted, cyberbullying incidents, deception, and cyber attacks. We need to stand together against the threats we are exposed to through new media technologies, from digital bullying to hate speech, from terrorist propaganda to systematic disinformation movements, from algorithmic dictatorship to digital fascism.
In the new digital age, we are witnessing that hate speech produced in all areas of the media has begun to have a ground that is taken for granted, which is the social equivalent of hate speech. This is not just our country’s problem, it is now a global problem that surrounds the whole world. Solving this problem is essential. As Turkic states, we must fight together against hate speech and racism. By establishing common platforms, we must develop a common discourse and joint action, and act together.” he said.
Aktas hoped that the topics to be discussed at the workshop would be beneficial to the public.
Sessions on “Combating Disinformation and Hate Speech in the Media” and “Digital Media and Internet Journalism” were held within the scope of the workshop, which included journalists from the Turkic world and many media members working in Türkiye.