"Individual Disarmament in Turkey and Violence News" BANDIRMA Local Media seminar

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Dear Guests, Welcome.
"I am happy to be with you in the eighth "Individual Disarmament and Violence News" Local Media Seminars in Bandırma. 
Umut Foundation has been working on subjects related to individual disarmament, violence, peace culture and superiority of law for last 19 years and it has been sharing its information and researches with the public every time it gets a chance. Media has always been supporting us in this process. We as Umut Foundation have shared our researches, criticism, evaluations and the problems we have recognized with the media and the public through media and we continue to do so.
When we decided to organize the Local Media Seminars we selected "right of living", which is one of the most fundamental rights of human beings, as the main subject.  Violation of right of living interrupts efforts towards democracy. Media, which is recognized as forth power, plays an important role in proper functionality of democracy from point of carrying out inspections on behalf of public  and establishing public opinion.  Therefore, no other natural reason was available to discuss and study "right of living" with media. 
The most extreme point in violation of right of living is to end ones life by applying violence.  The most extreme point with respect to violence is individual armament. We can take a clear look at violence map of Turkey thanks to media. Turkey stands 14th among 178 countries with respect to armament. Armed violences have increased by 83% in the last 10 years.
 The purpose of "Individual Disarmament and Violence News" Local Media Seminar series is to  establish an objective and criticizing approach, which is necessary for media, regarding the method the media and in particular the local media, which is the most substantial power for change in our country,  uses to reflect violence and individual armament related incidents.   
You journalists have an important responsibility and duty with respect to this subject.  
Maybe the violence news, which draw attention and which are read the most, tell the story of life experiences and human stories to audiences as a part of our daily lives. Alright, are our journalist friends, who witness these news and incidents, aware of the fact that they play an important role in shaping social believes and conducts as some kind of a story teller? Are they aware of their responsibilities when communicating the news that they witness?
These questions constitute the basis for today’s training. Principals of journalism as a career, media literacy and violence news from stand point of human rights shall primarily be discussed. We will be informed of social gender in violence news, hatred crimes and the behavior exhibited by media in this respect, human rights in violence news and evaluation of violence news from stand point of editorials later on. 
Then we will come together with our honorable speakers, meeting presidents and you dear journalists in the discussion meeting  titled "View of Local Media with Respect to Violence Journalism" . 
This meeting is very important since it will reveal our opinions of the subject. Therefore, we would appreciate if you could participate in the final meeting to share your opinions, experiences, questions and evaluations with us. 
We will be proud of providing your certificates following this section.
I, hereby, would like to take time to appreciate all those who made this organization possible Honorable Nail Gureli, Lawyer Fikret İlkiz, Prof.Dr. Timur Demirbaş, Dr. Recep Yaşar’a and Önder Balikçi. 
I also appreciate Freidrich Ebert Stiftung Foundatşon for its financial supports since it would have been impossible to organize this event without their supports. 
I hope it would be a productive and entertaining seminar with lots of participation.
With a wish for futures full of hope.