Individual Disarmament and Violence News in Turkey Local Media Trainings
Umut Foundation
Local Media Seminar on
Individual Armament and News on Violence in Turkey
Gaziantep
December 6th, 2009, Dedeman Hotel
Nazire Dedeman
Dear guests,
Welcome.
I feel very happy for being together with you in our 6th Local Media Seminar on Individual Disarmament and News on Violence in Turkey in Kars.
Umut Foundation has been showing efforts regarding individual disarmament, violence, peace culture and superiority of law for 16 years, while sharing its knowledge and researches with the public in every opportunity.
In this period, media members interest particularly in individual armament and rising violation of the right to live and support to disarmament have been never lacking.
Violence is mostly caused by social inequalities. These inequalities constitute a kind of spiral that embitters our fears and gradually leads to more and more violence. It is a problem that matters of crime and violence are popular within the media.
We can also think that this problem is caused by a kind of inequality, because the reason why we, the viewers, consume violence in media a lot and with great interest is perhaps our fears and the feeling of mistrust, which are results of such inequalities.
Questioning and trying to understand the source and the results of the fear caused by violence being popular in the media is a responsibility that we must assume in order to realize our dream of creating a violence-free society.
In this context, we do not just say no to violence in the media. We also show efforts to understand the universe of violence in the media with all its aspects. The program content of this series of seminars is mostly based on this understanding. Moreover, this series of seminars is a ground where we share our responsibility with you.
In many countries around the world, young people and children who obtained firearms easily killed their friends, teachers and finally themselves at school These assaultive youngsters and children were all easily armed and dramatically consumed media messages with violence content. The same is true for young people and children in our country as well.
We are asking, also stressing out that we should not neglect the sociological background of the matter: What is the impact of media in creating this environment of violence?
Some of the rational studies carried out throughout the world, related to this matter, indicate that the media, particularly TVs, shows violence to people as a normal way of solving problems.
Furthermore, it tells us that violence is everywhere and we must fear it. Such a discourse of fear and mistrust, in the end, probably plays a key role in further armament of people.
One of the apparent reasons of individual armament, the extreme point of violence, is the form of existing in social life by using violence.
An individuals choosing armament as the form stressing out his existence essentially refers that he affirms inequality, because those who think that they will be powerful with brute force and by getting the edge over with exhibition of gun thus accept that they will prove their existence with such power.
However, individuals armament further grows the size of violence, while raising mistrust by creating more threat. Today, some of the lecturers will draw attention to the size of individual armament in Turkey. But I would like to first stress out that today 3,000 people die every year in Turkey because of firearms. An average of 700 people lose their lives because of accidents caused by firearms.
Gun is deemed as a cultural characteristic in our country. As firearms are used in exhibition of anger, rage and hostility, it is also believed that honor and honesty can be protected or joyful moments can be celebrated with guns. In any case, the only result is death
We frequently see in media such life stories that prove us this reality over and over.
We, as readers/viewers and listeners and you, as journalists who forward us these events, all of us must be aware of this truth at least: right to live is a persons most fundamental right. This right is equal for everyone. One of the most important social problems disrupting such equality is individual armament.
We, as Umut Foundation, while dealing with the matter of individual armament, put emphasis on superiority of law, peace culture, and awareness of being a citizen, while stressing out that this is an important responsibility.
You, our journalist citizens, play a significant role in this matter. It is an important step that you remember that the situation you face is related to peoples right to live when reporting incidents of violence, making news and forwarding news to us.
News on violence tell media audience various life stories. How sensitive are we regarding the facts told in these stories which we quickly consume and the problems indicated by them? Well, on the other hand, are our journalist friends who witness these news and incidents aware of the role and responsibility they undertake as the narrators of such stories?
These questions constitute the basis of our current training program.
Therefore, we convened here today to hold the Local Media Seminar on Individual Disarmament and News on Violence in Turkeyin order to analyze the way how the media reports events related to violence and individual armament to the society and to discuss how to build up a critical and objective approach that complies with the requirements of the profession.
Hereby, I present my endless thanks to all lecturers. I also thank Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Association that made substantial contribution to the making of this meeting.
I again say Welcome to all and wish you an efficient and entertaining study with high participation.