Experts in the field gathered at the January 10 Journalists’ Day Panel

Important figures from the field attended as speakers in the "January 10 Working Journalists’ Day Panel" organized jointly by Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication Department of Journalism and Media Academy Association (MAKDER). In the program, which drew attention to the difference of Üsküdar Communication and its achievements as a faculty, it was emphasized that journalists should be responsible to the public, and the general problems of the media were discussed.

The moderator of the event, which was held at Üsküdar University South Campus Fuat Sezgin Conference Hall, was Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication Dean Prof. Süleyman İrvan.

The opening speeches of the panel were made by Head of the Department of Journalism Assoc. Prof. Gül Esra Atalay, President of MAKDER Selçuk Taşdemir and President of the Journalism Club Nuran Şahin.

Journalist-War Correspondent Cem Tekel, TV100 Announcer Lara Kırmusaoğlu, Journalist Yusuf Özgür Bülbül and Agenda Editor Nilay Tuğçe Bostancı participated in the panel as guests.

Assoc. Prof. Gül Esra Atalay: "I would like to congratulate the efforts of all journalists"

Emphasizing that the experiences of the speakers are important source of information as much as the lessons for students, Head of the Department of Journalism Assoc. Prof. Gül Esra Atalay said that "Today is the anniversary of a historic event. Working Journalists' Day is something that emerged as a result of a number of events that occurred after the publication of the press profession law in the official gazette on January 10, 1961. This is the anniversary of nine newspaper bosses suspending printing newspapers for three days in protest against the press profession law, which is the law that allows journalists to have certain rights. The journalists continued to publish their own newspapers for three days in response, that is, they tried to work despite their bosses and to provide the public's right to be informed. Therefore, this is where the meaning of employee in working journalists comes from. On this occasion, I would like to congratulate the efforts of all journalists who work on behalf of my department, who cannot work, who cannot find a job, or who are not employed. I would like to thank them for their dedication and efforts in the exercise of their profession."

Selçuk Taşdemir: "Üsküdar shows the difference in communication"

Emphasizing the importance of applied training, MAKDER President Selçuk Taşdemir said that "You are very lucky, and we visit a lot of schools, but we really see the difference of Üsküdar Communication everywhere we go. It also makes us happy to say that we know you with the work you do in Üsküdar Communication. The information you will gain here will make serious contributions to the theory as well as the news workshops with Üsküdar News. I would like you to have dozens of news until you graduate, your news will be a serious reference source for you in job applications instead of someone's reference. Even if you are a content producer, the main profession of this job is journalism. At this point, Üsküdar shows the difference in the field of communication."

Prof. Süleyman İrvan: "January 10 is the anniversary of the law which grants the most important rights to journalists in Türkiye"

Stating that every January 10, the journalism club commemorates this day and addresses the problems of journalists, Dean of the Faculty of Communication İrvan stated that "January 10 is indeed the anniversary of the law which grants the most important rights to journalists in Türkiye. The law gave journalists an advantage over their bosses. It is a very important law for working people; however, journalists have not been able to protect their positions. There are many reasons why they cannot protect it; however, the most important is the monopolization that happened in the 1980s and 90s..."

Journalist Cem Tekel: "Your work has a responsibility to and a response in the public"

Emphasizing that the main purpose of Working Journalists' Day is to protect the rights of members of the press, Journalist Cem Tekel expressed that "We talk about the problems of all kinds of societies, but we cannot tell our own problems. The work you do has a responsibility and a response in the public. The work we do is demanding and requires attention. You cannot unionize, or you will get fired. Most recently, they fired 30 people at a major media outlet without compensation. They were familiar names. They did not receive severance pay. You don not hear much about them; however, unfortunately that is the case right now. The bulletins are the same, but the number of employees has decreased considerably. Right now, reporters working on television are going to more than one story. They are working more than they should. The media industry experience distress right now. Large institutions do not have the money you would expect. You need to know these things so that you do not get disappointed. Journalism is a matter of the heart. I did not get to see the birth of my child. Mehmet Ali Erbil showed it to me on the live broadcast. I could not go to many of my friends' weddings and funerals. I also saw the Gaza war. The sniper also pointed a gun at me. I have experienced very difficult things, I have seen wars, but there must be a reward for them. There is life insurance in the foreign press when you enter the war zones, but this is not the case in Türkiye. If I die, my family will not receive any compensation.”

Lara Kırmusaoğlu: "Journalism is a matter of the heart"

Pointing out that the media draws a framework for people, TV100 Announcer Lara Kırmusaoğlu stated that "If you work in the private sector, unfortunately, we cannot expect full rights in Türkiye. Journalism is a matter of the heart. Friends who are on the reporter side, please know that this is the real journalism because I wanted to be a reporter very much and I was only allowed to appear on one or two news stories on Merkez TV. It allowed me to see the outside world in the news. We went to the market, whether the gold or dollar fell, we went to foreign exchange institutions, I had the opportunity to meet and interview smaller news or political names there, if it can be called reporting, I had experiences in this way. When I came to Tele1, I saw a different side of the business. You have already studied this profession for four years and your professors tell you about the ethics of journalism, which should already be there, but not everything happens as it is spoken, this is the case in every department, in fact, I studied child development. Unfortunately, I have never been able to witness that the teachers actually do what is described there. There, too, the school does not allow it, your principal does not allow it. A framework is also drawn for you in the media. You are forced to conform to that framework. You can also work as a freelancer if you do not prefer this, but how long it will be able to sustain you financially is of course debatable. You have to make a name for yourself in a certain way. We have to start from scratch."

Yusuf Özgür Bülbül: "The stronger the local resources, the better journalism can be done at the national level"

Speaking about the importance of local journalism, Journalist Yusuf Özgür Bülbül said that "My interest in local media started when I was in college. During my school years, I was actively engaged in journalism. I am one of those people who thinks that the foundation of journalism is local. Whether you work nationally or in international media organizations, I think that many news have local origin. The stronger the local sources, the better the journalism can be done nationally. We did a thesis study on the digitalization of local newspapers. As a sample, we compared eastern and western as İzmir and Muş. My suggestion to you here is that you can start by working in local media, and it can offer good opportunities for you to take a step. In fact, there are not only bad places where we look at local media, but also quality places. In fact, in some organizations, you can make more money than nationally."

Nilay Tuğçe Bostancı: "I had the chance to use the knowledge I learned when I entered the sector"

Üsküdar University graduate Agenda Editor Nilay Tuğçe Bostancı said that "I am in my fifth year in this profession, and when I first entered the industry, I had the chance to really use a lot of the knowledge I learned here. Whether it is the news Üsküdar, the blogs we made in the classes, YouTube, Instagram content, and the things we learned about social media, it was very useful for us. I have been in Cumhuriyet for 2 years and I have been working as an agenda editor. At the same time, I produce content on health. Since I usually start at 7 in the morning, I have to look at the content the day before and dominate the agenda. Unfortunately, we do not have many editors at night. During the day, we start our work by taking the televisions, Internet streaming, Twitter agenda in front of us. We enter at least 25 pieces of content per day. The number of contents can reach up to 500. We also share social media posts."

The event ended after the questions of the participants were answered and a group photo was taken.

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)