A panel on “Local Press and Problems” was organized by Atatürk University Faculty of Communication and Corporate Communications Directorate (KID) on January 10 Working Journalists Day.

The Vice-Rector of Prof.Dr. Nihat Yatkın, faculty deans, academics, local and national press representatives and students participated in the panel held in the Cultural Center Blue Hall.

Panelists Feridun Fazıl Özsoy with the subject of “Working Journalists and the Press”, Kadir Sabuncuoğlu with “Working Life in the Press”, Mehmet Şener with "Anatolian Press", Orkun Çizmeli with “Sports Journalism in Erzurum”, and Sevda İncesu with “Being a Woman Journalist” participated in the panel on “How Can We Improve Cooperation of Local Press-Communication Faculties?”, which was moderated by Corporate Communications Director Assoc. Dr. Besim Yıldırım.

“Journalism should aim to save people from the information dump”

In his presentation, Assoc. Prof. Besim Yıldırım talked about the problems of journalists in the profession by mentioning how the January 10 Working Journalists Day emerged. Expressing that the profession of journalism, which is one of the most dynamic and most important professions of our time, is a laborious job, Yıldırım said that journalism should now aim to save people from the information dump instead of informing people.

“The Concept of Press Freedom is insufficient in the current definition”

Stating that the 212. press law has not been practiced in journalism, Feridun Fazıl Özsoy stated that changes happened in press institutions and organizations due to changes in management structure in Turkey.  Expressing that monopolization in the press area seriously jeopardizes freedom of the press, Özsoy emphasized that the concept of press freedom is insufficient in the current definition.

“Relationship with News Sources Determines the Quality of Journalism”

Expressing that journalism is the contact and distance profession, Kadir Sabuncuoğlu said that the relationship with news sources determines the quality of journalism. Highlighting the experiences in the profession, Sabuncuoğlu underlined the concept of “news value” and expressed the changes caused by the new communication technologies in the field of journalism and the problems brought along.

“There are Many Reasons for Press Issues, From Past to Present”

Mehmet Şener mentioned in his presentation that problems related to the press occurred for many reasons from past to present. Şener stated that the local press was established in Anatolia in the form of an imposition from the top, not as the public demand, but as an effort for the modernization of the provincial administration, and that the first example of this was "Envar-ı Şarkiye" in Anatolia.

“There should be no discrimination between men and women in journalism”

Arguing that she does not believe in the concept of “Women Journalism” in her speech, Sevda İncesu stated that no news on the field was attributed to either female or male journalists, that every journalist could do the same job and there could not be such a distinction. Stating that the journalism profession is not as difficult as it used to be, Incesu said that it was not necessary to distinguish between men and women in this profession, mentioning about the the difficulties of getting rid of society and environmental pressure in previous years.

“Transforming Sports Reporter into Club Reporter Brings Danger”

Finally, emphasizing that there is no distinction in the field of expert journalism due to some inadequacies in the local media, Orkun Çizmeli pointed out that a stereotype was experienced only in the field of sports, and that the turning of sports correspondence into a club correspondent is now dangerous.

The panel continued with the question and answer session after the presentations and ended after the participants were given a plaque.