Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication organized an event titled “Journalism of the 80s and New Media Trends”. Journalist Nazan Öçalır was the guest of the program held via Zoom. Moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Feride Zeynep Güder, Head of the New Media and Communication Department, the event discussed how journalism has changed from the 80s to the present day.
“Knowing journalistic techniques is very important”
Öçal stated that for a journalist who knows news writing techniques, writing and conveying news quickly is very easy; “It is very easy to write and convey news, but for someone who does not know news writing techniques, even constructing a single sentence can take a long time. That's why knowing journalistic techniques is very important. Nowadays, television journalism is at stake. Therefore, instant transmission is required. In addition to all these, beautiful Turkish must be spoken, and sentences must be meaningfully constructed. Especially for television journalism, many techniques, such as the news writing techniques we learn in our schools, contribute greatly,” she said.
“Journalism was very difficult in the 80s”
Öçalır, speaking about journalism education in the eighties, said, “We have experienced so many changes that within these changes, despite being middle-aged, we suddenly became history. Only those who keep up with this rapid change will be able to sustain their existence; you are very lucky, you are students of the computer age. None of the technological tools and equipment used by young people today existed in the 80s. And journalism was very difficult. We couldn't leave the library for hours for research. Nowadays, every piece of information can be accessed with a single click. That's why young people are very lucky today.”
“Opportunities were quite limited back then”
Nazan Öçalır, mentioning that opportunities in communication departments were very limited in the 80s, said, “The equipment in schools was generally not given to students so that it wouldn't break; there was no specialization for journalism courses in those years. We took some courses there and knew a little bit about everything. But we didn't have specialized courses like economy journalism or culture and arts journalism. Now, you decide on your courses based on which field you want to specialize in; we didn't have such a chance in those years. Opportunities were very limited back then.”
“It is essential for young people to be brave and willing in this profession”
Nazan Öçalır also spoke about her internship period during her student years; “In our time, there were self-taught journalists, and these people had captured the highest levels of newspapers. Journalism is such a profession that there is no such thing as making way for newcomers. This profession continues with you until you die and becomes a way of life. That's why positions in newspapers don't become vacant, and opportunities are not given to young people. This is the biggest difficulty encountered. In the institutions where I interned, people worked so intensely that no one noticed me. After waiting for a long time, I showed my courage and started to say, 'I am here too.' Young people need to be brave, willing, and eager.”