Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication Journalism, Radio, Television and Cinema, New Media and Communication Departments, together with the Media Academy Association (MAKDER) and the Journalism Club operating under the Department of Health, Culture and Sports (SKS), organized a panel titled “Current Problems of Women Journalists” within the scope of January 10 Working Journalists' Day. The panel addressed issues such as structural problems faced by women journalists in the media sector, the use of sexist language in news, insecurity, and mobbing.
The panel held at Üsküdar Üniversitesi South Campus Fuat Sezgin Conference Hall hosted TV100 News Anchor Nilüfer Kutlu, Medyascope News Manager and TGC Women's Commission Coordinator Göksel Göksu, and BİANET Editor Evrim Kepenek as guests.
The panel was moderated by Dean of the Faculty of Communication Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay, while the opening speech was delivered by Head of the Journalism Department Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan.
Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan: “January 10 is a day reminding us of the main purpose of journalism”
Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan drew attention to the historical significance of January 10 in the panel. İrvan said; “January 10 is a very important day in terms of Turkish press history. On January 10, 1961, Law No. 212, the ‘Press Labor Law,’ was published in the Official Gazette and came into force. The law provided journalists with important rights and guarantees. Newspaper owners, who believed this law brought them difficulties, came together when their interests were at stake and opposed the law. They even announced that they would not publish newspapers for three days as a protest. However, on the same day, journalist organizations immediately took action and decided to publish a newspaper named ‘Basın’ (Press). In short, January 10 is a day that reminds us of journalists' ownership of their profession and rights, and the main purpose of journalism.”
İrvan also emphasized that pressure on women journalists has become more visible in recent years, stating; “Due to the accusations against women journalists in recent months, we determined the topic of this year's panel as the problems of women journalists.”
Esra Çınar: “We attach importance to building a strong bridge between the media sector and academia”
Media Academy Association (MAKDER) Vice President Esra Çınar spoke at the opening of the panel. Çınar emphasized that MAKDER approaches independent journalism as an ethical stance. Çınar said; “The main goal of our association is to build a strong bridge between the media sector and academia, to support young communicators, and to contribute to communication education. MAKDER is a non-governmental organization established in 2022. Since its establishment, we have organized numerous events, especially in faculties that train journalists. With these events, we value meeting with students and sharing our professional experiences.”
Meryem Aydın: “Journalism requires pursuing the truth”
Meryem Aydın, President of the Journalism Club, drew attention to the social responsibility of journalism in her opening speech. Aydın said; “Journalism is a very important profession that requires pursuing the truth and accurately informing the public. However, this profession can often become even more challenging for women due to inequality, insecurity, and invisible labor.”
After the opening speeches, the panel began.
Göksel Göksu: “Women journalists had to make their existence accepted…”
Medyascope News Manager and Türkiye Journalists' Association Women's Commission Coordinator Göksel Göksu addressed the structural problems faced by women journalists, drawing on her 30 years of experience in the profession. Göksu said; “Women journalists first had to make their existence accepted in this sector. Being sent to the field and reporting on risky news were often left to men.”
Göksu, drawing attention to the importance of news language, stated that phrases like ‘Jealous husband killed his wife!’ create a language that legitimizes violence. She emphasized the importance of journalistic language with the words, “Language shapes society's consciousness.”
Göksu drew attention to the importance of the Gender Policy Document
Göksu, also touching upon the issues of harassment and mobbing frequently faced by women in the media sector, drew attention to the importance of the Gender Policy Document prepared by the TGC Women's Commission, and stated that independent and impartial commissions should be established in workplaces.
These commissions, she stated, should be structures capable of securely handling complaints, with predetermined sanctions, and offering legal-psychological support to employees.
Nilüfer Kutlu: “Diligence and courage have no gender”
The other speaker of the panel, TV100 News Anchor Nilüfer Kutlu, shared the difficulties she experienced as a woman journalist, both within her family and in her professional life. Kutlu said; “Journalism is already a difficult profession, but there are extra burdens that come with being a woman. For me, these difficulties started within the family.”
Kutlu, emphasizing that anchoring is not as easy as it seems from the outside, stated; “Diligence and courage have no gender, but women need to struggle much more to reach this point.”
“Anchoring without seeing the field is not realistic”
Kutlu, stating that women in television organizations are often expected only to be visible, and their ability to comment is limited, addressed students aspiring to be anchors, saying: “Being beautiful or reading well is not enough to appear on screen. In this profession, you must go through the ‘kitchen’ (learn the ropes from the ground up). Anchoring without doing reporting, without seeing the field, is not realistic.”
Kutlu, emphasizing that female anchors are under more scrutiny compared to their male counterparts, stated that many elements, from social media posts to on-screen performance, are judged more harshly for women.
The panel, which garnered significant interest from students, concluded with a group photo session after the Q&A segment.