Governmental fact-checking or ‘fact-washing’? Assessing the (un)biasedness and (im)partiality of the Centre for Countering Disinformation in Turkey
South European Society and Politics, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/13608746.2026.2708661
- Dergi Adı: South European Society and Politics
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Geobase, Historical Abstracts, Humanities Abstracts, Index Islamicus, Political Science Complete, Political Science Abstract (IPSA), Social Sciences Abstracts, Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: disinformation, fact-washing, Governmental fact-checking, information control, propaganda, Turkey
- Galatasaray Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study investigates the fact-checking practices of Turkey’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD), a particularly revealing case of governmental fact-checking in a competitive authoritarian setting, asking whether and how it engages in ‘fact-washing’, the propagandistic misuse of fact-checking to legitimise governmental narratives. Through a mixed-method analysis of 1,165 fact-checks across 146 disinformation bulletins, the findings reveal a systematic pattern: the CCD disproportionately targets opposition and foreign actors, leaves government-aligned narratives unchecked, and relies heavily on state sources to legitimise its assessments. It also deploys differentiated delegitimisation strategies depending on claim origin. Introducing the concept of fact-washing, this article contributes to debates on disinformation governance and the politicisation of fact-checking.