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Sezin Öney, originally from Turkey, is based in Budapest and Istanbul. She her journalism career as a foreign news reporter in 1999 and she turned into political analysis as a columnist since 2007. Her interest in her main academic subject area of populism was sparked almost decade ago; and now she focuses specifically on populist leadership, and populism in Turkey and Hungary. She studied international relations, nationalism, international law, Jewish history, comparative politics and discourse analysis across Europe.
The Czech Republic's Fake News Problem
The age of information and technological advancements were supposed to prove increased and equal access to quality data, strengthening people's intellectual backbones and leading to a "globalized enlightenment". In other words, an ideal world in which people would know how to handle plentiful information and not settle for anything less than access to verified data.
Instead, in our contemporary times, the phenomena of fake news is proving to be infectious across the world. Moreover, fake news is not just a pop culture issue — this type of yellow journalism increasingly acts as the prime "mover and shaker" in the world of politics. This is why this article by Berlin-based journalist Emily Schultheis is insightful: it makes one not just reflect on the case of the Czech Republic (and other similar instances in Eastern Europe and Russia), but for various country cases across the world.
Schultheis begins her article by citing the example of Parlamentní listy (or, “Parliamentary Letters”), a Czech news site with a monthly audience of about 8 million users. This site publishes "interviews with politicians, alongside more sensational content that exaggerates facts, seemingly with the intent to sow discontent with the government or the political establishment".
Parlamentní listy is one of a specific type of media outlet mushrooming across the world and reaching to out ever more widespread audiences. And it is truly a question mark how to reach out to the people to make them prefer "genuine news".
The "official solution" that the Czech Republic came up with is establishing a unit at the Interior Ministry for "debunking fake news". This unit, the Center Against Terrorism and Hybrid Threats, runs a Twitter account that aims to combat fake news. Other groups in the Czech Republic engage in similar "fake news debunking activities", such as organizing workshops in high schools to teach the youth about media literacy. "Fake news busting" is an uphill struggle, but a worthwhile one nevertheless.
