Journalists’ Association Chair
Nazmi Bilgin
Experienced journalist Nazmi Bilgin has headed Turkey’s most deeply established press organization, the Journalists’ Association, for 23 years. He talked to us about press freedom in Turkey, the current state of the profession of journalism today, the association and their “Press for Freedom” project. We met Bilgin at the Journalists’ Association building which has a historic texture, where he said; “Democracy and press freedom are twin siblings, one cannot live without the other. Today, when it comes to press freedom, Turkey is behind many countries that the Turkish public may have never even have heard of.”
By M. Ferhat YÜKSEL
Erzurum-born Nazmi Bilgin began his career with the Son Havadis newspaper while he was a student at the Istanbul University Economic and Commercial Sciences Academy. During his half-century career, Bilgin has worked at many national newspapers, television stations and news agencies as a reporter, news director, chief Parliament correspondent and Ankara representative. He also worked with the Turkish National Commission representative as well as serving as a board member of the Press and Advertising Institution Local Board. He still continues his duty as a member of the Elele Foundation Board of Trustees under the Turkish Armed Forces and has signed his name on some very important news articles and interviews, even being selected as journalist of the year in the news and interviews category for five consecutive years from 1976 to 1981. We talked to Bilgin about the Journalists’ Association, which he has headed for 23 years, and press freedom in Turkey which is often brought to the agenda.
Can you briefly talk about the history of the Journalists’ Association?
The Journalists’ Association was established by Mekki Sahit Esen on 10 January 1946. It is Turkey’s first press association. Esen explained the reason for the establishment of the association as bringing all journalists with free ideas and free consciences under the same roof, to protect the republic and to contribute to the existence of democracy, as Atatürk had said as well. The founding philosophy of our association has survived within its main framework without changing. Today, our association has over 2,000 members with press cards. Before being selected as the chair of the Journalists’ Association in 1992, I served as the deputy chair and the secretary-general.
What are the responsibilities taken on by the Journalists’ Association and the missions they represent?
One of the important missions of the association is that there is unity around the basic principles of the republic, and to ensure that it is protected. This is why there are journalists from every thought and view in our association. We tell our journalist friends to hang their political opinions on the coat hanger at the door when they enter the association and talk about our occupational problems and other important topics here. As well as the unifying element, we organize in-service training for our young friends who are new to the profession and give social aid in cases of unemployment and death. In addition, when the government wants to change the laws or bring regulations regarding the press, we offer consultancy when asked. In this context, we were invited to the commission and sub-commissions during the period of releasing the latest press law and internet laws and conveyed our views there. We also pay for the tuition of our students who are accepted into their first choice of communications departments after the university exams. One of the founders of Turkey’s first Press-Broadcast Academy (Faculty of Communication) is a member of the association and therefore we have deep relations with communication faculties.
What services and opportunities do you provide for members of the press?
We have a daily newspaper called “24 Saat”. We provide job opportunities to our unemployed journalists here, according to the ranking of needs. We also continue paying for the social security of some of our journalist friends so that they can retire, or give them staff positions so they can continue having their press pass. Our newspaper not only allows us to bring income to the association but also presents the opportunity to include columns featuring the views of our member journalists.
What are your activities on an international platform?
We do journalist exchange programs with various countries from time to time. During U.S. President Bill Clinton’s term and the visit by Bülent Ecevit, who was the prime minister of the time and a member of our association, it was decided that we would be sister clubs with one of the largest press associations of the United States, the Press Club. We have bilateral channels and partnerships with many other press associations in various countries including Britain, Germany, France and Bulgaria. We release joint declarations with these foreign journalist associations on certain topics. On an international platform, we exchange and share information with our sister press associations.
PRESS FREEDOM CANNOT BLOOM…
As someone who has been in the press sector for over half a century, how do you evaluate the progress made by the press in Turkey?
During our over 90 years of republic history, especially after 1960 with revolutions and the declarations of martial law, a number of events occurred that prevented democracy from blooming. Turkey went through a period where the progress of democracy was prevented and a free press could not bloom. A former president of the association, Beyhan Cenkçi, was imprisoned towards the end of the 1950s because of his thoughts, just like many other journalists. One would hope that imprisoned journalists could have stayed as a bad memory. Unfortunately, there are journalists today who have been in prison for a long time. Democracy and press freedom still hasn’t settled in Turkey. Democracy and press freedom are twin siblings, one cannot live without the other. Today, when it comes to press freedom, Turkey is behind many countries that the Turkish public may have never even heard of. To overcome this, democracy must be enforced in every meaning. Labels such as “partisan press” and “parallel press” are being pinned on journalists. This is an embarrassing situation. Journalists are not partisan, parallel, square, ellipse or round. They are straight. Journalists should not take on these labels and if they do, they are not journalists. If such people go on TV or write columns, this is to Turkey’s press’ shame.
THIRD FROM LAST IN TRUST RATING
How can the problem of being biased and labeled be overcome?
First, politicians need to accept press freedom. I don’t mean insults. That is another topic and is unacceptable. But we must accept criticism. Journalists and politicians should not separate each other by “with me” or “against me”. Both sides should not marginalize and should accept each other. In Hacettepe University’s occupational groups’ research on trust, journalists were third from last. Politicians came last and they have not given that last place spot to anyone else (laughs). Lawyers are rated over politicians and before journalists. This is a thought-provoking situation. The mistakes that we talked about have made this profession untrustworthy in the eyes of the public. Our job, however, is to share with the public the rights and wrongs in a realistic, objective and impartial manner.
PRESS FOR FREEDOM PROJECT
What are the goals of the EU-supported “Press for Freedom” project which completed its first year in January 2015 and is being carried out by the Journalist’s Association?
As part of the European Union Think Civil program, the Press for Freedom project is the largest project in Turkey prepared to detect violations in Turkey without any political leanings. As part of this project, there are five-person committees in Turkey’s seven geographical regions made up of local journalists, lawyers, civil society organization employees and academics. These committees track violations of press and freedom of thought in their region and they compile monthly reports. There is a national committee headed by Prof. Dr. Korkmaz Alemdar. The national committee takes these regional committee reports and prepares a monthly report. These monthly reports are summarized and published as yearly reports.
In addition, citizens from all parts of Turkey can reach us through our Infringement Notification Line. When necessary, the lawyers on the committees give free legal consultation in cases of infringements. You can obtain detailed information on the Press for Freedom project as well as the published reports at tr.pressforfreedom.org.
What activities are the Journalists’ Association carrying out regarding the rights and freedoms of members of the press sector?
Unfortunately, with the process starting with Asil Nadir in the 1980s, newspapers have left the hands of journalists and have been taken over by businessmen. In this period, the bosses gave journalists the option of working or (not working and) being a member of a trade union. Naturally, the journalists had to pick work. Let us do make self-criticism here; journalists were unable to show the necessary resistance at that time. If they hadn’t formed long resignation lines at the unions and instead taken these crowds with the unions to resist, the scene in Turkey would be much different. Today, journalists are writing about public servants becoming union members, but they themselves are not. We know the problems faced by journalists who do not have security. Unfortunately, there is no unionized press institution.
MONOPOLIZATION PROBLEM
How did businessmen entering the media sector affect the Turkish press?
Monopolization is the twin sibling of censorship. When a media group is taken over by an equity group, that equity group does not have the chance of fighting against the current administration. When there is no resistance, the dilemma of “this news can be printed, this one cannot be printed” automatically emerges. This is censorship itself. There was a time when news directors had a list of people that they could not write against. We were reckless enough to hang such lists. In short, monopolization is a serious problem that has started in Turkey and continues to increase.
THE RIGHT STORIES ARE IN NEWSPAPERS
How do you evaluate the effect of the internet and social media on press?
The internet and social media will take the place of newspapers in seven to 25 years, depending on who you ask. The same thing was said when television first came out but that period went by smoothly. Social media comes stronger. I want to emphasize an important point here. Let’s say that newspapers are 99 percent untrustworthy. Then social media, which is not filtered at all, is 100 percent untrustworthy. When newspapers print a story, it is checked by many people from the intelligence chief to the news director, but with social media you are at the mercy of whoever publishes the story/news. So something that is not true can be suddenly conveyed to thousands of people as if it is true without asking anyone. This could be attractive for people who want to get news fast, but after looking at social media for a while, they will want to read newspapers to see if the news is true. In this regard, the internet law to be passed, that I was a part of, is important. With the new law, news portals will be institutionalized. Therefore, portals will have an official person in charge, the employees will be insured and will have the chance to apply for yellow press cards. The state will give shares of official announcements and advertisements to these portals.
