Üsküdar University Communication Faculty Journalism Department Head Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan, Faculty Member Assoc. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay and Faculty Member Assoc. Dr. Bahar Muratoglu Wrestler; He made very important evaluations and shared his recommendations about the role of social media and traditional media in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
In the process that started with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, besides the armed hot war, there is also a propaganda war waged in the media and social media. Emphasizing that social media plays an important role in this propaganda war alongside traditional media, experts state that the war between Russia and Ukraine went down in history as the first war broadcast live on social media. Experts; He advises social media users to be cautious when publishing news about the war, and to journalists to confirm the accuracy of the content and images from social media users before broadcasting.
Üsküdar University Communication Faculty Journalism Department Head Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan, Faculty Member Assoc. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay and Faculty Member Assoc. Dr. Bahar Muratoglu Wrestler; He made very important evaluations and shared his recommendations about the role of social media and traditional media in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
prof. Dr. Suleiman Irvan: “The first battle broadcast live on social media!”
Defining the invasion attempt of Ukraine by Russia as “the first war broadcast live on social media”, Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan said, “We are going through an extremely important period in terms of journalism in this war. The war is broadcast live with the images transmitted by ordinary people, whom we can define as witness reporters, on their mobile phones. During the Gulf War in 1991, CNN news channel managed to broadcast the war via live satellite links, and this war went down in history as 'the first war broadcast live on the screen'. The war in Ukraine is also the first war broadcast live on social media. Social media has come to the fore in this latest war.” said.
prof. Dr. Suleiman Irvan: “Social media gave people in distress the opportunity to communicate.”
Emphasizing the need to be careful about social media, Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan said, “Many misleading and propaganda-oriented posts are made through these channels. On the other hand, we also see the positive aspects of social media. Ukrainians and foreigners living in Ukraine share about the situation in different cities of the country, not only conveying what is happening to the world, but also helping those in distress. For example, if social media and mobile phones did not exist, there would have been a great panic about the fate of the citizens of the Republic of Turkey in Ukraine. Thanks to social media, these people were able to make their voices heard, and they were able to tell where and what situation they were in. Thus, evacuation procedures from the country can be carried out more easily.” used the expressions.
prof. Dr. Suleiman Irvan: “The countries are also waging an intense propaganda war.”
prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan also evaluated the role of traditional media in the war as follows: “Traditional media plays a more successful role in covering the war in Ukraine. The USA prevented journalists from acting independently during the Gulf War and implemented the practice of 'embedded journalism'. Journalists had to do their jobs under heavy censorship pressure. In Ukraine, on the other hand, media organizations report more freely. On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that international media outlets broadcasting from Ukraine are making pro-Ukrainian reporting against the occupation, which is already expected. It should be reminded that the transmitted information is mostly information provided by the Ukrainian authorities, therefore, this information should be approached with suspicion. After all, countries are also waging an intense propaganda war.”
Assoc. Dr. Rose Esra Atalay: “Sharing resources should be evaluated carefully”
Expressing that the sources that share on social media in war conditions carry risks, Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication Journalism Department Lecturer Assoc. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay made the following warnings:
“Every source that shares on social media should be evaluated carefully. It should be questioned whether the source is an expert in the content or has an above-average knowledge or experience arising from their expertise, profession, geographical location or life experiences on that subject or situation.”
Assoc. Dr. Rose Esra Atalay: “Caution should be exercised when sharing news on social media.”
Emphasizing that social media users should pay maximum attention while sharing about the war on social media, Atalay said, “It may be good to wait for a while before sharing a content/news reached through social media. Especially in constantly changing uncertain situations, the waiting time allows you to see the denials, updates and additions to the news. When it comes to getting news from a geography whose language you do not know, it will be useful to act cautiously and slowly to distinguish which local news sources are reliable and which are not, and to search the web for available local sources.” said.
Assoc. Dr. Bahar Muratoglu Wrestler: “The journalist can use social media like a walkie-talkie.”
Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication Journalism Department lecturer Assoc. Dr. Bahar Muratoğlu Pehlivan gave advice to the journalists about the posts from social media users:
“Journalists should not circulate content from social media users without confirmation. Verification steps such as visual verification, location verification, searching for the authenticity of the profile, and the creation time of the content should be applied. Reaching the first uploader can also be important if it's content such as photos or videos. Different content from the same location can be researched. Journalists can use social media like a radio to access sources and verify from different sources. The uploader may also be asked to send more content, but in this case, the security of the person should be prioritized and be sure to be safe.”
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