At the beginning of his speech at the ceremony, Altun conveyed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's greetings and wishes for success to the youth and all the competitors.

Expressing that he was very pleased and excited to be with talented young colleagues, Altun wished that this competition, which has become a tradition under the leadership of TRT, would open new doors of success for young people.

Stating that he attached great importance to this event, which offered young communication professionals the opportunity to combine their theoretical knowledge with practical work, Altun congratulated the young people who participated in the TRT Future Communication Professionals Competition that encouraged original and seminal work in a critical field such as communication and won awards.

“We are diversifying and strengthening our communication channels and instruments”

Stating that communication was at the center of all fields, from media to art, politics to diplomacy, economy to technology, education to sports, Altun said that besides its transformative role in societies, communication showed its ability to influence the international system more and more every day.

Emphasizing that communication was no longer a secondary but a primary field, Altun said that for this reason, countries considered their communication strategies as an essential part of their grand strategies and national roadmaps.

Stating that Turkey acknowledged this new reality under the leadership of President Erdoğan and was among the leading countries in this field, Altun said, “In this period, we are diversifying and strengthening our communication channels and instruments as a continuation of our foreign policy ideal. Our goal is to develop a strategic communication policy and ensure this policy brings unity, solidarity, and peace to our society, stability and security to our region, peace and justice to our world. With our ever-good intentions, we call on the world to work together to ensure that communication becomes 'a channel for good and a barrier to evil' in this new era.”

“We will hold onto the truth against organized evil”

Stating that while working together for these ideals and principles, it was necessary to be vigilant against the pitfalls that may be encountered on this path, Altun noted:

“The most dangerous of these traps is the presentation of the so-called 'post-truth', namely the trivialization of the truth, as the new normal. It is our common duty to protect the communication channels created by the joint efforts of societies from lies, slander, defamation, and conspiracy theories. In recent years, various countries have experienced the effects of such actions, which activate the fault lines between different layers of society, destabilize economies, create a crisis of confidence between society and the state, and reduce trust in democratic institutions and organizations. Of course, our greatest weapon against this wave, which has grown recently, particularly by means of social media, is the truth. The stronghold of truth is our greatest insurance against media operations and perception manipulation. Together, we will shield ourselves from the sense of pessimism, insecurity and organized evil that the instruments of the post-truth are attempting to instill in our societies, yet again by holding onto the truth.”

“Fake news and fake content are digital weapons of mass destruction”

Pointing out that there was a vast field of production in every medium from cinema to television, radio to the newspaper, the internet to social media, Altun stated that they were determined to use the opportunities provided by this great field only to strengthen the truth.

Explaining that they were making strenuous efforts to achieve these goals, Altun added that, with President Erdoğan's will and leadership, they began a massive campaign against those seeking to undermine and trivialize the truth.

Indicating that future communication professionals would likewise have significant duties and responsibilities in this struggle, Fahrettin Altun said, “Building strategies and tactics for combatting social media-centered cyber disinformation will take place on the top of critical challenges for communication professionals in the future, just as it is today.  It would probably not be inaccurate to assert that fake news and fake content constitute a form of 'digital weapon of mass destruction'. We can only fight organized deception via an organized and concerted effort.”

“We recognized the necessity of domestic and national communication infrastructure”

Stating that this week's simultaneous outage of two social media platforms and a messaging app with billions of users worldwide was an extremely interesting occurrence in media and communication history, Altun made the following remarks:

“We have witnessed the incapacity of an international social media corporation that purports to be stronger than states, as well as its failure to secure its customers' personal data. Even this instance alone points to the importance and necessity of domestic and national communication infrastructure. Our most effective antidote to these media platforms' apathy, irresponsibility, and evasive attitude will be our responsible and circumspect use of these platforms. Concerning the national security dimension of the issue, various organs of our state have already entered into effective work.”

“We must be effective and pioneering in all spheres of communication”

Expressing that Turkey has developed into not only an influential regional power but also a country that speaks out on global concerns and develops policies, Altun remarked that President Erdoğan's book “A Fairer World is Possible” outlined the fundamental principles for Turkey’s struggle for ascension to global power status.

Altun commented that he had no doubt, at this point, that young communication professionals would likewise create projects that appeal to the entire world and look out for the good of all humanity in accordance with Turkey’s new global vision, adding, “We must be effective and pioneering in all spheres of communication for the sake of our own, our country's, and humanity's futures.”

“Young generations are emerging that will raise the bar even higher in terms of communication”

Noting that they, as the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, were exerting intense effort to ensure that Turkey performed strongly in both national and international communication, Altun went on to say, “From public diplomacy and public relations activities to positive communication campaigns, we take steps to safeguard and enhance our country's reputation in all of our endeavors. On the one hand, we are actively combating black propaganda and terror of lies directed against our country across all media; on the other hand, we carry out works that communicate our country's national, historical, and cultural values through innovative projects by using the means of communication, art, and technology. All of these tasks are accomplished together with our staff's young, dynamic, and skilled members. Indeed, I am excited to see that young generations are growing who will raise the bar even higher in all spheres of communication. We cherish and promote proficient and virtuous young people, and our door is always open to them.”

Fahrettin Altun stated: “Young people who provide the most accurate news, shoot the best films, and create the most attractive designs will not only advance their own careers but will also benefit their country. We will lift our country shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, to the position it deserves. We eagerly await the contributions of tomorrow's bright communication professionals to our communication mobilization for truth.” (ILKHA)