The summer of 2026 went well, in terms of productivity, settlements, and short but beautiful vacations. I am redesigning my office on campus, including a few Billy bookshelves from IKEA. This gave me space to unload more boxes from my father’s storage. One of my personal activities in recent weeks is cataloging the newspapers I … Read more
The video chronicles the rise and dramatic decline of digital media giant BuzzFeed. While the company achieved massive success in the 2010s by optimizing its viral content (quizzes, listicles, and Tasty videos) for Facebook’s algorithm, this heavy reliance on third-party distribution ultimately led to its downfall. When Facebook’s traffic began to wane in favor of … Read more
Hosted by the Fojo Media Institute at Linnaeus University, this webinar covers early findings from “The Swedish Election Observatory” (Valet 2026). The briefing outlines the project’s efforts to monitor, track, and fact-check disinformation, AI-manipulated media, and foreign interference targeting the 2026 Swedish elections, featuring collaborations with fact-checking agencies and the Counter Disinformation Network. Key Takeaways … Read more
AI Tools for Journalists Workshop in Adana On Saturday, May 16, 2026, I took part in the “AI Tools for Journalists” workshop organized by TGS Academy in Adana. The workshop focused on how journalists can use basic AI tools in their everyday professional routines. We discussed practical uses of AI in news research, text production, … Read more
CPJ’s 2025 record and the new wartime totals The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported in late February 2026 that 2025 was the deadliest year ever recorded for the press, with 129 journalists and media workers killed worldwide since CPJ began collecting data in 1992. According to the same report, Israel was responsible for … Read more
Today I was invited to a talk at CNBCE Turkey. The topic was, of course, war, AI, and disinformation. While I was preparing for the talk, I updated my previous report on disinformation in the current war. A few instances of interest: 1- Unconfirmed stories on X and in some regional outlets allege that Quds Force … Read more
I was quoted in this piece: Hey Grok bu doğru mu? Here is the full interview translated into English: 1 – As of February 2026, during escalating conflicts between the US, Israel, and Iran, we witnessed social media overflowing with countless pieces of content produced or manipulated by artificial intelligence. How do the ‘echo chambers’ of … Read more
Turkey blocks 41 social media accounts over ‘disinformation’ on Iran war Disinformation in the Iran-Israel-US War (2026): Major Cases and Patterns Overview Since the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, 2026, an unprecedented wave of disinformation has flooded social media platforms. Fact-checkers, media watchdogs, and verification teams at BBC Verify, AFP, Reuters, … Read more
I saw two platforms mentioned several times on X (World Monitor and USvsIran.com) and asked Perplexity to compile similar sources. Here you are: OSINT Sources for Following the US-Israel-Iran Conflict World Monitor (worldmonitor.app) and USvsIRAN.com — represent a growing ecosystem of open-source intelligence (OSINT) dashboards built for real-time conflict monitoring. World Monitor is an open-source … Read more
IFCN rejects the attempt to portray fact-checking as a security threat and warns of rising global repression The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute strongly opposes the Trump administration’s recent decision to deny U.S. visas to European public officials and civil society leaders. This action, which includes the blacklisting of individuals for their … Read more
I guess there is no doubt about the state of human rights in Iran. However, I am increasingly irritated with the fact that relatively reliable international media outlets, which we frequently cite as good examples of journalism, have explicitly become instruments of war-making. I hope Iranian citizens will have better days to witness. In the … Read more
Reflections from the “International Relations in the Age of AI” panel held at the Point Hotel Taksim in Istanbul, organized by EUROPolitika Journal on December 20, 2025. I have formatted my notes using Perplexity. AI Grooming: How Authoritarian Powers Weaponize Data to Control the Future of Knowledge In the age of artificial intelligence, we face … Read more
The Global Fact-Check Chatbot (GFC) has been officially constituted, launching with 38 founding members (the list is available below). This initiative, which originated during the convening in Bosnia in June 2024, was developed to address the urgent need for innovation in the field. Since then, the team has focused on engineering a multilingual, easy-to-use tool designed … Read more
The new Worlds of Journalism Study (WJS3) Report, “Journalism under duress”, is now available – https://www.worldsofjournalism.org/reports-wjs3/ Drawing on responses from over 32,000 journalists in 75 countries, this report examines how journalists across the globe navigate risk, uncertainty, and transformation in today’s rapidly changing media landscape. Supported by UNESCO, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and the International … Read more
I believe this is really shameful. Tele1 TV seized by state, broadcast interrupted mid-air The authorities appointed a trustee to pro-opposition broadcaster Tele1 TV on the evening of Oct 24, taking the channel off air during its main news bulletin. But this was not the first time: Since 2016, Turkey has systematically seized, shut down, … Read more