Turkey has started publishing a weekly “disinformation bulletin” that aims at discrediting false news and providing accurate and truthful information.
Turkey’s parliament approved a harsh new media law on Thursday that could see journalists and social media users sentenced to up to three year imprisonment for spreading fake news.
The new rules reinforce the government’s already firm grip on the media just eight months before President Recep Takip Erdogan goes to the polls.
The legislation was composed of 40 amendments, each of which required a separate vote. It was proposed by Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted AKP party. Turkey’s main opposition parties furiously opposed it.
If you are found guilty of spreading false or misleading material, you will be punished by the law.
Social networks and internet sites are required to give personal information of anyone suspected of “propagating misleading information” their users.
It allows courts the ability to sentence accredited journalists and regular social media users who “openly propagate misleading information” to one- to three years in prison.
The government also began publishing a weekly disinformation bulletin, which aims to debunk any false news it finds and replace it with “accurate information”
Council of Europe Rights Group stated that the vague definition of disinformation and associated threat of jail could have a chilling effect and increase self-censorship, particularly considering the forthcoming elections in June 2023.
