The kick-off meeting of the project was realized
The kick-off meeting of the project titled “Creating Social Cognitive Resilience against Information Disorders – RESAID”, implemented by Istanbul Bilgi University and supported by the European Union Jean Monnet Center of Excellence Program, was carried out at santralistanbul Campus. In the face-to-face and online panel discussions organized within the scope of the meeting, the impact of information disorders in times of multiple crises was discussed and the steps to be taken to increase social cognitive resilience were discussed.
“Information disorders are a violation of human rights”
In his opening speech, Prof. Dr. Emre Erdoğan, Professor of International Relations at Istanbul Bilgi University and RESAID Project Coordinator, emphasized that disinformation is one of the most important threats to societies and stated that information disorders should be defined as a multidimensional problem and solutions should be produced at different levels. Pointing out that information disorders have become an even greater threat in times of multiple crises, Erdoğan stated that information disorders, which are defined as a global threat, are defined as a multidimensional problem that violates human rights, threatens human security and limits capabilities within the scope of the RESAID Project. Erdoğan emphasized the importance of a multi-layered resilience strategy to be developed by drawing attention to the bioecological model on which the project is based. In this regard, he gave information about the winter school and academic conference planned to be held within the scope of the project, as well as the workshops to be held with representatives of the media, civil society organizations, the military and the bureaucracy. He also mentioned the online open access courses, open source book, online games, short videos and policy documents planned to be prepared within the framework of the project.
“Combating information disorders should not limit freedoms”
Speaking at the panel, Prof. Dr. Itır Erhart, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Communication at Istanbul Bilgi University, emphasized that crisis periods affect disadvantaged groups the most. “Disadvantaged groups are affected much more severely in times of crisis such as climate change, pandemics and droughts. For a woman living in Africa, drought means not being able to grow crops and being driven into poverty as a result. If you are a woman or a person with a disability, the impact is even greater.” Erhart emphasized that those who contribute the least to crises are the most affected, and emphasized the importance of access to accurate information. Tacan İldem, President of the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM) and Former Ambassador Tacan İldem pointed out that when it comes to disinformation measures, restrictive measures are preferred as the first move, but this carries the risk of limiting freedoms.
“The fight against information disorders should also be targeted at children”
Referring to the negative effects of disinformation at the national and international level, İldem stated that cooperation between states and international organizations is critical in the fight against disinformation. Evaluating the measures taken by the European Union and NATO to combat disinformation, İldem stated that some countries have stronger capacities against disinformation due to their historical experiences. İldem also emphasized that it is imperative for independent verification bodies, governments, civil society organizations, academia and the private sector to work together to continuously monitor the information environment and detect misinformation in the fight against disinformation. Lale Şıvgın Dündar, Strategic Communications Officer at the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey, stated that disinformation ranks first among the biggest risks and threats facing the world in the eyes of the European Union and international organizations. Stating that intensive efforts are being made to raise awareness, strengthen media literacy and increase the responsibilities of online platforms within the framework of the action plan to combat disinformation, Şıvgın Dündar talked about the work of the European Union: “We focus on basic trainings to strengthen media literacy in the fight against disinformation in Turkey. We work with different groups and develop joint projects with media organizations. Based on the idea that our news sources should be healthy and reliable, we cooperate with journalists and digital platform publishers on news content. We have also planned various trainings in cooperation with verification platforms and organized verification trainings for national and local journalists. Children are among our target audience. Children can easily access digital content. Therefore, we have completed various training projects for children in cooperation with parents, caregivers and teachers.”
