Migration and Disinformation Discussed at IUE

On 26 November 2025, the Media and Migration Association and Doğrulab met with students from the Faculty of Communication as part of the NMC 207 Journalism course coordinated by Dr. Sarphan Uzunoğlu.

In the event, Dilek İçten from the Media and Migration Association emphasized that the language used in news about migrants directly shapes public perception, drawing attention to journalists’ ethical responsibilities. İçten stated, “Public perceptions of refugees and migrants are largely formed through the news published in the media. Therefore, when preparing news about migration, journalists should avoid tendencies involving generalization, stereotyping, and othering, both in terms of framing and language, and strive to examine the issue in a multidimensional and data-driven manner.”

In her presentation, İçten also shared examples of migration-related disinformation and highlighted the importance of a rights-based approach in news production.

Ezgi Toprak from Doğrulab informed students about verification processes, how misinformation spreads, and methods of combating disinformation using digital tools. Toprak underlined the critical importance of verification mechanisms, especially during crises and election periods.

During the Q&A session, students discussed migration reporting, combating hate speech, and the practical use of digital verification tools.