Vasvi Çiftçioğlu's Book "Responsible Journalism" Presented to the Press

The event was attended by the British High Commissioner Irfan Siddiq and TAK Director Fehmi Gürdallı. The event was moderated by Canan Onurer, Secretary of Organization at the Journalists Union.

Çiftçioğlu

In his speech at the event, the author of the book, Vasvi Çiftçioğlu, explained that he wrote the book to raise awareness about censorship, self-censorship, and self-regulation. He mentioned that in a survey on censorship conducted last year, it was revealed that 75% of journalists practiced self-censorship to avoid losing their jobs or facing pressure. In response to this finding, Çiftçioğlu organized a series of roundtable discussions with journalists.

During these meetings, Çiftçioğlu noticed that young journalists, especially those who had not attended journalism schools or had not had the opportunity to learn from experienced mentors, often confused self-censorship with self-regulation. He emphasized the need to clarify the concepts of censorship, self-censorship, and self-regulation. The book, designed as a guidebook, evaluates the survey conducted in the first section and discusses press freedom in Cyprus from the past to the present. In the following sections, lawyer Cansu Nazlı examines legal regulations related to press freedom, and Süleyman İrvan discusses media ethics, covering controversial topics such as suicide, child criminals, and public interest in terms of international ethical standards.

Çiftçioğlu mentioned that the book's preface, written by Ibrahim Seaga Shaw, compares the understanding of press freedom in the UK with that in the United States.

Expressing his gratitude, Çiftçioğlu thanked Hüseyin Çakmak, the General Secretary of the Cyprus Turkish Cartoonists Association, for granting access to the association's archives and allowing the use of cartoons related to freedom of expression and the press in the book. He highlighted the power of cartoons to convey issues that cannot be explained with thousands of words.

At the end of his speech, Çiftçioğlu thanked the British High Commission for their support and all those who contributed to the book.

Siddiq

Irfan Siddiq, the British High Commissioner, also gave a speech at the book presentation event. He expressed great pleasure in the publication of the book on responsible journalism.

Siddiq stated that they were aware of the importance of free media and strong freedom of expression in Northern Cyprus, but also mentioned recent developments that have endangered press freedom.

Therefore, Siddiq stressed the significance of the book and expressed their appreciation to those who worked on it.

About the Book

The book, titled "Responsible Journalism: A Guide to Awareness Against Self-Censorship," was written to increase the awareness of new journalists about self-censorship, censorship, and self-regulation and to promote a sense of responsible journalism in the Turkish Cypriot press. The book's editor is Bekir Azgın, the President of the Media Ethics Board, and the foreword is written by academician Ibrahim Seaga Shaw from the UK. The book includes the results of a survey conducted in 2022 on censorship and self-censorship among Turkish Cypriot journalists. It also features a section on the legal aspects of press freedom, written by lawyer Cansu Nazlı, and a section on media ethics titled "Media and Ethics," written by Prof. Süleyman İrvan, which examines ethical issues in the media, such as suicide, child offenders, and public interest, in light of international ethical codes. The book also includes cartoons related to freedom of expression and the press contributed by members of the Cyprus Turkish Cartoonists Association, making it a comprehensive resource on the subject.

The book's cover design was created by Prof. Dr. Senih Çavuşoğlu, and the page layout was done by Engin Aluç. The digital version of the book is available for free on the website http://www.sorumlugazetecilik.net/.