We need a media organisation that protects journalists' rights
The International Symposium on the New World Order and the Role of the Media in Istanbul brought together media representatives from 14 countries. The idea for the event came from District Mayor Maltepe Ali Kılıç.
Journalists from Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Northern Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo as well as Germany, Greece, Estonia and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus spoke about global crises, the role of alternative media and their future. Among them was Firuza Gafurova, the press correspondent of the Tashkent Hokimiyat press service.
In his opening speech, the district mayor thanked the participants of the symposium, noting the importance of the discussion on the role of digital media in the new world order.
Ali Oztunç, Deputy Chairman of the Republican People's Party of Turkiye, a journalist by profession, drew the participants' attention to some figures and stressed: "Turkiye is ashamed to be ranked 149th among 180 countries in the international organisation Reporters Without Borders' press freedom ranking.
Journalists from different countries, representing different cultures, stated: today people prefer to follow news on social networks and move away from reading traditional media. One of the most important reasons for the loss of credibility of the press in the eyes of the audience is that traditional journalism has become more "directed" both through external pressures and voluntarily.
Firuza Gafurova, correspondent of the press service of the Tashkent Hokimiyat, made a presentation on "Global crises and the role of media". Speaking on the global crisis such as pandemic that humanity faced recently, the journalist noted the timely cooperation of the government of Uzbekistan with media.
However, both Eastern and Western journalists agreed that for the press to work according to the principles of correct and impartial journalism, a media organisation protecting journalists' rights is needed.
