Stating that the media must defend democratic values and convey different views, Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan said, “It should avoid false, fabricated, and distorted news aimed at manipulating voters' decisions. The media must use its attributed quality of being the fourth estate in line with the interests of society.”
Noting that a healthy democracy is only possible with good media, Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan said, “Manipulative headlines and news articles published to influence public opinion in favor of a certain candidate or party primarily damage trust in the media and journalism.”
Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan, a faculty member at Üsküdar University's Faculty of Communication, evaluated the importance of journalistic ethics during election processes and highlighted that media must use its power correctly during these periods.
“In democracies, informed citizens are assumed to make the most accurate decisions”
Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan pointed out that journalistic ethics consist of principles advising journalists to perform their duties in the best possible way. He said, “These principles advise journalists to do their work truthfully, honestly, and fairly. While it is always an expected necessity for journalists to act in accordance with these principles, it becomes even more critical during election periods when the need for information and news increases. Because in democracies, informed citizens are assumed to make the most accurate decisions.”
What is the role of journalists in the election process?
Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan stated that the most important role assigned to journalists during election processes is defined as enlightening society with accurate information and contributing to the formation of voting decisions. He explained, “The responsibility of journalists is to adequately perform these duties. This is certainly not easy. In multi-party and multi-candidate democracies like Turkey, it is very difficult for media and journalists to report fairly without being partisan between parties and candidates. Generally, we see the media reporting in favor of parties and candidates labeled as ‘winners,’ while parties and candidates labeled as ‘can't win’ are ignored. This is the first problem. The second problem is that a large part of the media publishes like party media in favor of certain parties. This situation leads to other parties and candidates having great difficulty in conveying their views to voters, or even being unable to reach them at all without social media.”
“Media must use its quality of being the fourth estate in line with the interests of society”
Emphasizing that journalistic ethical principles are extremely clear and instructive, and that the media, above all, must convey facts without distortion in accordance with the public's right to information, Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan continued as follows:
“The media must defend democratic values and convey different views. It should avoid false, fabricated, and distorted news aimed at manipulating voters' decisions. The media must use its attributed quality of being the fourth estate in line with the interests of society. When reporting on public opinion polls that have the potential to influence public sentiment, it must ensure that these polls are conducted within scientific criteria. For this, the details of the research must be included in the news report.
It should avoid featuring parties and candidates on screen or reporting on them for a fee. If an advertorial, which is a sponsored news application, has been used, this must be clearly stated in the news, and voters should not be deceived. The more properly the media performs its work during election periods, the more correctly voters can make their choices. A healthy democracy is only possible with good media.”
“Manipulative headlines damage trust in the media and journalism”
Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan concluded his remarks by saying, “Manipulative headlines and news articles published to influence public opinion in favor of a certain candidate or party primarily damage trust in the media and journalism.
“Indeed, one reason for the low reputation of the Turkish media in the eyes of society is these types of manipulative news. Perhaps a more significant risk is the loss of democracy's credibility. Research shows that negative news, especially during election periods, alienates the public from politics and deters voters from casting their ballots. One reason for the decreasing voter turnout rates in Western countries is the media's emphasis on such negative reporting.”