AA Fact Check Line at Medipol: How does disinformation shape perception?

Organized by the School of Communication at Istanbul Medipol University, the event brought the changing perception of reality in the age of artificial intelligence to the forefront. Held at the South Campus in collaboration with Anadolu Agency, the program was attended by Prof. Ali Büyükaslan, Dean of the School of Communication at Istanbul Medipol University; Assoc. Prof. Korhan Mavnacıoğlu, Vice Dean; Assist. Prof. Ahmet Serkan Okay, Head of the Department of Journalism; Ömer Faruk Görçin, Director of the Anadolu Agency Fact Check Line; Ayşenur Cevahiroğlu, Reporter at the same unit; as well as academics and a large number of students.

Ömer Faruk Görçin and Ayşenur Cevahiroğlu explained through concrete examples, how disinformation is produced, the emotional triggers through which it spreads, and the methods used in verification processes. Assoc. Prof. Korhan Mavnacıoğlu, who moderated the event, underlined its importance in terms of ethics, professional practice, and everyday life.

PROF. BÜYÜKASLAN: YOU WILL NOW EVALUATE THE CONTENT YOU SEE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
In his opening speech, Prof. Ali Büyükaslan stated that social media has become an integral part of daily life and emphasized that users bear the responsibility of critically evaluating the content they encounter. Addressing the students, Büyükaslan said:

“You will now need to assess the content you encounter in any corner of social networks whether it is accurate or not.”

Büyükaslan also noted that with the increasing prevalence of AI-generated content, reliable journalism and expert perspectives have become more critical than ever. He described Anadolu Agency as a well-established institution in journalism and stated that the insights shared by the Fact Check Line representatives would contribute significantly to students’ professional perspectives.