Following the devastating earthquake that hit southeastern Turkey on Monday morning, the Turkish General Directorate of Security (EGM) announced that 90 social media accounts had been identified as making ‘provocative social media posts’, of which four individuals had been taken into custody. Regarding the arrests, Radio and Television Council (RTÜK) President Ebubekir Şahin said in a statement on social media “It is not possible for us to ignore the organizations that make manipulative broadcasts with malicious intent.”
The statement from the RTÜK president read: “90 [social media] account managers were considered to have made provocative posts on social media platforms regarding the earthquake that hit Kahramanmaraş and the surrounding area. These posts were made with the goal of creating fear and panic in our citizens, and the individuals responsible for these posts were identified. Our work continues in identifying the individuals responsible for the other accounts.
RTÜK President Şahin: “It is not possible for us to ignore manipulative posts”
Şahin stated that it is a legal obligation for posters not to share information that harms the search and rescue activities carried out in the earthquake area, which he said causes panic and disinformation:
Medyascope'u destekle. Medyascope'a abone ol.
Medyascope’u senin desteğin ayakta tutuyor. Hiçbir patronun, siyasi çıkarın güdümünde değiliz; hangi haberi yapacağımıza biz karar veriyoruz. Tıklanma uğruna değil, kamu yararına çalışıyoruz. Bağımsız gazeteciliğin sürmesi, sitenin açık kalması ve herkesin doğru bilgiye erişebilmesi senin desteğinle mümkün.
“No media organization has the right to make demoralizing broadcasts that will disrupt the work carried out by all official and civilian teams. I invite all media to carry out responsible broadcasting. We have found that some media organizations do not comply with broadcasting principles. We will follow closely those who fail to accurately inform the public in the face of such a calamity, as the military, police, and authorities are on the ground assisting in rescue efforts. It is not possible for us to ignore organizations that make manipulative posts with malicious intent. As the Radio and Television Council, we reiterate that we follow these types of posts closely, and keep the public informed.”
