NNA – The 51st Conference of the Executive Council of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) kicked off this morning, hosted by the Anadolu News Agency at its headquarters in Istanbul, headed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, OANA President and IRNA Managing Director, Ali Naderi, and in the presence of member state news agencies.nbsp;
In two sessions, the conference will discuss areas of cooperation in combating media misinformation and the Unionrsquo;s role in the era of false and misleading information and news.
In his openingnbsp;speech, OANA President and IRNA Managing Director, Ali Naderi, said: quot;Communication Director of the Republic ofnbsp;Turkiye, Doctornbsp;Fahrettinnbsp;Altun
President and CEO ofnbsp;Anadolunbsp;Ajansi, Mr. Serdar Karagoz,
Members of OANA Executive Boardnbsp;amp; Technical Committee,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Technologynbsp;innbsp;modern world,nbsp;helps us distribute information so fastnbsp;to a large audience.nbsp;A news agency can spread news online, through social networks, modern platforms, as well asnbsp;traditional media.nbsp;This is the bright side of modern communication. The dark side is thatnbsp;false information is also distributed as fast and easy.nbsp;
And when false information is circulatednbsp;quot;on purposequot;nbsp;to deceive a group of audience, it is called disinformation.
Disinformation may targetnbsp;a group ofnbsp;people, the decision-makers,nbsp;peoplesnbsp;of a region or the whole world. In any case,nbsp;it is harmful and media organizations are expectednbsp;tonbsp;protect people from the harm.
In recent weeks, there has been a sad and criminal war against surrounded people in a strip called Gaza and disinformation has been a major player in that war. False news evennbsp;provoked reaction among some heads of governmentsnbsp;and some of them finallynbsp;corrected their previous statements.
False news like beheading 40 Israeli children, attacking a music concern in Israel, denial ofnbsp;Israelrdquo;snbsp;involvement in attacking a hospital in Gaza and victimizing hundreds of hospitalized people.
As you see, some politicians and warmongers are counting onnbsp;disinformation while also taking advantage of artificial intelligence.nbsp;
In most cases, news agencies can find common grounds for cooperation against false news. And nations will enjoy the benefits of such cooperation.nbsp;To name a few number of cases when false information turns into a serious problemnbsp;and cooperation benefits the most, I can sayquot;pandemics, natural disasters, migration, global economic crises, regional development, issues relating to peace and co-existencehellip;quot;nbsp;And the list is much longer.nbsp;One other example is when a group of media try to make a distorted image of a country. So, they selectively publish or highlight negative news about that country. As a result, the audience do not get a reliable comprehensive understanding of the situation. In these cases, professional news agencies can cooperate to avoid misunderstanding among the people and miscalculation among the elite.nbsp;
In this OANA eventnbsp;in Istanbul, we want to investigate and highlight the role of news agencies in fighting false information.nbsp;We also want to explore ways of cooperation among news agencies in this regard.
Of course, technical and executive board meetings will also be held to regulate and monitor daily activities of OANA.
I appreciatenbsp;Anadolunbsp;Ajansinbsp;for hosting the 51stnbsp;Executive Board Meeting and its sideline events. And I hope we can come up with creative ideas and make useful collaborative decisions in the coming days.quot;
In his delivered speech,nbsp;Anadolursquo;s President amp; CEO, Serdar Karagoz, said: quot;Communications Director of Tuuml;rkiye, His Excellency Mr. Fahrettin Altun,
Honorable President of OANA,
Distinguished OANA Executive Board and Committee Members,
I would like to welcome you allnbsp;atnbsp;51stnbsp;(fifty-first) OANA Executive Board Meeting and Conferencenbsp;hosted by Anadolu.
It is truly delightful for us to host you in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Istanbul.
We hope that during your four days here, you will enjoynbsp;Istanbul#39;s vibrant culture, historical heritage, and its unique cuisine.
This week holds a special significance for both Anadolu and our countrynbsp;at the same time.
On October 29thnbsp;(twenty-ninth), we will celebratenbsp;the 100th(one hundredth)nbsp;anniversary of the Republic ofnbsp;Tuuml;rkiye.
This year, when determining the date of the OANA Board Meeting, we wanted to host representatives from the world#39;s leading news agencies during such a significant week.
Anadolu was establishednbsp;103 years agonbsp;during thenbsp;Turkish War of Independencenbsp;to convey the struggle against the occupying forces in Anatolia to the world.
Today, withnbsp;publications in 13 languages,nbsp;a team of 1800 employees, andnbsp;offices in 39 countries, Anadolu is one of the news agencies that set the agenda for both the region and the world.
We producenbsp;2.1 million contentsnbsp;annuallynbsp;withnbsp;ournbsp;news, photos, videos, and infographics.
Distinguished Guests,
Since its establishment innbsp;1961, OANA has been a highly effective news agency alliancenbsp;withnbsp;44 members from 35 countries.
When determining this year#39;snbsp;OANA conference theme,nbsp;wefocused onnbsp;disinformationnbsp;andnbsp;the strategies to combat it.
According to a study conducted by thenbsp;University of Oxfordinnbsp;37 countries in 2018,nbsp;Tuuml;rkiyenbsp;hasnbsp;the highest exposure to disinformationnbsp;withnbsp;49 percent.
We also observe that Asia-Pacificnbsp;countriesnbsp;are also heavily exposed to disinformation.
Because of this reason, ldquo;Cooperation Among News Agencies on Fighting Disinformationrdquo; is selected as this yearrsquo;s conference theme.
As Anadolu, we have launchednbsp;Factchecking Line in 2022nbsp;to combat disinformation.
Factchecking Linenbsp;focuses onnbsp;controversial content in digital media and providesnbsp;the public withnbsp;verified andnbsp;accurate information.
Tuuml;rkiyersquo;snbsp;Directorate of Communicationsnbsp;andnbsp;Communications Director Mr.nbsp;Fahrettinnbsp;Altunnbsp;plays a pioneering role in the fight against disinformation innbsp;Tuuml;rkiyewithnbsp;thenbsp;Center for Combating Disinformationnbsp;(CCD).
I believe thatnbsp;Mr. Fahrettinnbsp;Altunnbsp;will provide further details of this initiative in his speech.
Dear Guests,
In recent days, the Israel-Palestine conflict hasnbsp;increasedagain.
We are also sorry thatnbsp;our participant from Lebanon, Rananbsp;Shehabedinenbsp;(Şıhabeddin) of NNA,nbsp;couldn#39;t be with us due to flight cancellation caused by the war.
The bombing attacksnbsp;carried out onnbsp;hospitals, mosques, and churchesnbsp;by Israelnbsp;Military Forces (IDF)nbsp;havenbsp;resulted in the loss ofnbsp;thousandsnbsp;of civilian lives.nbsp;
Targeting civilians is unacceptable, no matter who carries it out.
As Anadolu, we condemn the targeting of civilians, which constitutesnbsp;a violation of human rights and international law.nbsp;
As well as civilians,nbsp;the ongoing conflictnbsp;causednbsp;a challengingnbsp;processnbsp;for us,nbsp;journalists,nbsp;as well.
Unfortunately,nbsp;so farnbsp;18nbsp;journalistsnbsp;lostnbsp;their livesnbsp;and many other journalists were injured.
The house ofnbsp;Anadolu reporternbsp;Alinbsp;Jadallahnbsp;in Gazanbsp;was bombednbsp;by Israel, resulting in the loss of several family members#39; lives.
In light of all these developments and the inability of the authorities to ensure the safety of journalists working in the region,nbsp;I have sent a letter to all agency alliances, including OANA.
The European News Agencies Unionnbsp;(EANA),nbsp;Alliance of Mediterranean News Agenciesnbsp;(AMAN), and OANAnbsp;issued a call for ensuring the safety of journalists reporting from crisis regions.
I would like tonbsp;remindnbsp;that we all should be committednbsp;to fight for the safety and security of all journalistsnbsp;in all circumstances.nbsp;
Dear Friends,
On behalf of Anadolu,nbsp;I would like to extend a warm welcomenbsp;younbsp;to Istanbul andnbsp;our new headquarter for international operations.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to thenbsp;esteemed Presidentnbsp;of OANAnbsp;as well as to my colleagues who have contributed to this event.
I also extend my thanks to Communicationsnbsp;Director, Mr.nbsp;Fahrettinnbsp;Altun, for joining us today.
I hope that the panels scheduled for today go well.quot;
nbsp;
———————– L.Ynbsp;