DİYARBAKIR – Dicle Fırat Journalists Association Co- Chair Serdar Altan said that they aim to increase solidarity among journalists and make press violations and rights violations apparent.

 

Diyarbakır-based Dicle Fırat Journalists Association, which recently announced its establishment, started its activities. Serdar Altan, Co-Chair of the Association, spoke to our agency about its objectives.

 

The association, which aims to increase solidarity among journalists, will make visible the pressures and rights violations against the press employees. Altan also said that they will organize programs for journalists through vocational training activities. Referring to the importance of solidarity and organization among journalists, Altan said that they would partner with existing professional organizations and cooperate with them. Altan suggested that all democratic, opposing journalists should act together and build a line of solidarity against the pressures on the journalists and that a solidarity network would be established with international professional organizations.

 

 

'PRO-GOVERNMENT MEDIA IS NOT DOING JOURNALISM'

 

Altan recalling that Turkey is the biggest jailer of journalists in the world, said that the journalists that are not jailed pending trial are facing imprisonment. Altan stressed that the journalists working in pro- government newspapers are not actually doing journalism, said: "On the contrary, they are manipulating the public."

 

‘IMPACT AND IMPORTANCE OF JOURNALISM INCREASED'

 

Altan emphasizing that journalism has changed and the printed media lost its effect, said: "There is social media now. The public reaches information through social media. That does not diminish the importance of journalism. On the contrary, the impact and the importance of journalism keeps increasing these days."

 

Altan added that there is always a price for being a journalist, said: "The journalists in the region is usually Kurdish and opponent. The unlawfulnesses they face is double compared to those who work in the west. We say 'Journalism is not a crime' in the face of these circumstances. Altanü, reacting to the fact that some international media organizations and professional organizations make the number of jailed journalists in Turkey look lower, said despite the fact that there are more than a hundred journalists in jail, some press organizations like The economist basing their data on 'official data' of Turkey is sad.