Fact-checkers seek out grain of truth in Turkey’s fake-news onslaught
ISTANBUL — The truth is having a hard time in Turkey these days.
A government-led crackdown has shuttered scores of media outlets and landed numerous journalists in prison. Allies of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wield near-total control over the mainstream media; self-censorship is endemic. Polarization and partisanship abound…..
“Most of the fake news comes from the government. But the opposition is not exempt — especially in the case of refugees they use fake news” — Erkan Saka, UC Irvine in California…
Saka described fake news on television as especially “poisonous,” adding: “Sometimes I think all social media combined is still less dangerous than what TV channels are spreading. It reaches more people.”…
Yet Saka, the academic, fears the fact-checkers’ efforts may amount to no more than a drop in the ocean. “Compared to the fake news sources their reach is limited,” he said….
In other news:
The German news weekly Der Spiegel is to publish a 23-page special report on how one of its award-winning reporters faked stories for years and dealt a blow to media credibility. Claas Relotius, 33, resigned after admitting making up stories and
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