The Conscience of the Age Club, operating within Üsküdar University's Health, Culture and Sports (SKS) Department, held the first event of its ÇVKxTALKS series. Journalist Bilal Gündoğdu attended the event titled 'The Role of Journalists in Making the Invisible Visible' as a guest. Gündoğdu discussed many topics such as the media's impact on society, journalism in war zones, digital media, and influencer culture. Underlining that media should sometimes be a 'hammer of conscience', Gündoğdu stated that the biggest crisis now is information pollution.
The event, which took place in the Socrates Hall of Üsküdar University's South Campus E-Block, was moderated by Ali Can Kurtbece.
“Social media has overthrown old authorities”
Journalist Bilal Gündoğdu stated that with the rise of social media, the authority of traditional media has been broken; “Social media has overthrown old authorities. Now everyone is a potential journalist. Follower count has become synonymous with the power of one's word. The real challenge is to remain accurate within this speed,” he said.
“Media should sometimes be a 'hammer of conscience'”
Gündoğdu emphasized that journalism in crisis regions, especially in the Middle East and Africa, should be human-centered; “In war media, the main point is to show the human element. Stories, not numbers, are effective. When we don't see the human face, the drama, the reality, we become desensitized. Media should sometimes be a 'hammer of conscience',” he stated.
“Empathy determines the ethical boundary”
Gündoğdu drew attention to the media's responsibility, especially in sharing images of war, disaster, and humanitarian crises; “If the person in that frame were your mother, your child, would you publish it? That's exactly where the ethical line begins. Empathy determines the ethical boundary,” he said.
Information pollution is now the biggest crisis
Gündoğdu, also touching upon the crisis of accuracy and manipulative content, spoke about the importance of verification mechanisms. Gündoğdu said; “Now, the biggest crisis is information pollution. A wrong tweet can cause panic in a city. Being accurate is now as much a responsibility as being fast.”
“We must be powerful good people”
Gündoğdu also stated that media is not just a communication tool, but a mechanism with the power to direct; “We talk about Hollywood's influence, but we still don't take media seriously enough. If power is in the hands of those with a conscience, it brings good to society. Media truly is power. It's not enough to just be good; we must be powerful good people,” he said.
The biggest investment is the investment you make in yourself…
At the end of the program, Gündoğdu gave advice to students, emphasizing the importance of learning. Gündoğdu said; “This field is changing very rapidly. If you don't continuously update yourself, you won't be able to stay in the market. Create works, leave a mark. The biggest investment for the future is the investment you make in yourself.”
The event concluded with a group photo.