I came to bianet from New York. In addition to the debates I was having along with my friends studying for a master’s in journalism, like “Why isn’t there any self-reflection among journalists?”
We were also asking questions in the dark such as “Why is international journalism written within a frame of that much nationalism (militarist, foreign affairs)” despite journalists’ belief that they write “objectively and free from ideology?”; “Why do our articles have to be dramatic in order to be sold?” and “Why do we have to be engaged with ‘sales’ in order to to become journalists?”
Our journalism programs lacked the capacity to criticize, the faculty didn’t want it. At the same time, the social sciences were approaching the matter as “journalism is bad in its essence; there is no way to save it”.
Here, the answers can be found to such questions. I came to bianet to work as a translator, but more than that, I’ve learned clearly about news writing philosophy, which I was seeking for so long with my friends studying journalism in New York.
It is clearly possible to create another framework here, and there is no need to reinvent wheel for that. Journalists just need to think a bit. Principles of journalistic newsworthiness, news sources and objectivity, impartiality and being balanced, have to be criticized through social scientific theories because, as clearly stated in the Peace Journalism Handbook published by bianet, according to these “universal” values created in 19th century, women, children, LGBTİ individuals and other minorities can be subject to news only in special, exceptional or coincidental achievements.
Conventional journalistic language is the language of men; the conventional newsroom is a man’s room. When you keep such things in mind, another journalism becomes possible and that is already present at bianet.
Indeed, life wasn’t necessarily that serious at bianet. The office environment is quite relaxed, people are warm and I’ve had joyous days. I witnessed an article about a cat statue article alongside the article on shutting down of Özgür Gündem daily.
I thank everyone at bianet, especially Tamer and Deniz from the English section. (KT/TK)
