Soon after the earthquake, Turkey’s Syrian refugees were the target of fake news

The media often dictates how we categorise “us” versus “them”. It’s the media that chooses to ignore the “other”, or report on it in a limited way. It’s the media that makes the “other” the subject of negativity, or a target of hate speech. 

In Turkey, the government opened its borders in 2011 when the war started in Syria. Syrians were welcomed as “guests”, as “brothers” who needed shelter. But when their return to their homelands was delayed, the four million Syrians living in Turkey became the target of  political agenda.

And here, the media played a role. The Turkish media often ignores or rejects ideas of everyday racism. It focuses on overt forms of discrimination, or racist acts of violence and aggression, while deeming other instances as not being newsworthy.

And when the devastating earthquake took place on February 6, these divisions were even starker, and Syrians became the target of disinformation and misinformation on a wide scale.

But first, some context.

Recently, a survey by the Istanbul Bilgi University’s Centre for Migration Research concluded that the only issue Turkish voters agree on is the return of Syrian refugees to their countries. In a poll conducted last year, 81.7 percent of Turkey’s population voted for Syrian refugees to leave.

In the Turkish media, the threat representations of Syrians generally centres around two themes: threat to public security as a criminal (spanning theft, extortion, murder, sexual assault, human trafficking and prostitution) and economic threat as cheap labour.

In reportage, the Syrian view is either entirely missing, or indicated to be unimportant. Syrians are featured in the media in a manner that lacks depth and is out of context, especially when it comes to their socioeconomic status. Sources of information on Syrian refugees – such as how they’re purportedly responsible for increasing rents – are usually police officials or Turkish citizens. 

As a result, there’s widespread disinformation and misinformation against Syrians. Fact-checking organisations like Teyit consistently debunk false claims, such as how Syrians “take away” jobs from Turkish citizens and lead to a rise in epidemics, or that refugees will be granted citizenship.

The earthquake earlier this month took place in provinces that are home to around two million Syrian refugees, many of whom died, were injured, or lost their homes. According to some reports, there were instances of these refugees being discriminated against during search and rescue efforts, and also later in reestablishing their livelihoods.

Disinformation was rampant too. A video on social media purported to show a Syrian boy asking for food after the earthquake – even though it was actually shot during the Syrian war. Refugees were stigmatised as “looters” on social media and quickly became a target of anger and hate speech. 

A glimmer of hope

But some organisations stepped up.

On February 11, the Migration Research Association issued a statement on problems faced by refugees and migrants after the earthquake. These included hate speech, “exclusion and segregation” in temporary housing, and inadequate access to aid due to fear of retribution. The association said it was important to ensure the “healthy flow of information” and to counter defamation and discrimination of refugees.

A similar statement was issued jointly on February 14 by bodies like the We Want to Live Together Initiative, Contemporary Lawyers Association, and the Istanbul branches of the Human Rights Association and Lawyers Association for Freedom. The statement flagged the “circulation of false information” and said “legal action should be taken against those who produce discriminatory policies and discourses”.

Fact-checker Teyit flagged suspicious information, urged its followers on social media to flag instances of misinformation, and prepared guides for internet users to protect themselves from fake news.

Seven news organisations – Aposto, Fayn, Kuest, Podfresh, Swipeline, Teyit and Wiser – formed a WhatsApp community to facilitate the healthy flow of information after the earthquake. Verified information was transmitted to approximately 15,000 WhatsApp users, while suspicious information was flagged and corrected. Booklets containing verified, vital information were also distributed in the cities of Hatay, Adıyaman and Kahramanmaraş in partnership with Needs Map, an interactive platform that connects people in need with individuals and institutions offering help.

Importantly, now is the best time to practise rights-based journalism – or “good” journalism –that allows citizens to participate in the news process. It will allow the public to ask questions on the problems of society, and seek answers to these questions, both in times of chaos and peace.

Now is also the time to practise peace journalism, the aim of which is to avoid the spread of hatred and fear through disinformation and misinformation, and to demonstrate solutions-oriented journalism. This will bring strength to the victims of calamities, and ease the process of rebuilding lives.

The writer is a visiting professor at the department of media and communications, London School of Economics.