A Study of Disinformation on Social Media During Disasters: The Case of the Dam Burst

Abstract

Disaster refers to situations that emerge suddenly and surpass the existing response capabilities. In Turkey, a disaster situation emerged on February 6, 2023, after two major earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş. While rescue operations were underway after the earthquake, disinformation that the walls of Hatay Yarseli Dam, located in the disaster zone, had cracked and that the dam would explode spread rapidly on social media, which created an aura of panic in the region, and rescue rescue activities and aid activities were interrupted. In this study, the case study technique was used within the framework of the qualitative research method. On the axis of the post on BaBaLa TV, one of the accounts that spread the dam Cracked disinformation on social media and the explanations of the relevant institution official about the process of making the social media post that caused the disinformation to spread, disinformation in social media, and the importance of the concept of verification in journalism were examined. In the study, it was concluded that BabalaTV neglected the ethical working principles of journalism due to its inattention and incorrect verification practices in the verification of received information, which is the basis of journalism, and that disinformation was spread due to negligence.

Keywords

• Disinformation
• Disaster
• Journalism
• Disaster communication
• Disinformation in social media

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