Hello!

Writing the first article to be published in a new newspaper has always been very difficult for me. Despite having taught for years, the first lecture of a term has always been difficult for me as well.

'The difficulty of 'firsts', I think, stems from not knowing the other party and perceiving them as a stranger. If the other party is a first for me, and I am a first for them, in short, since the parties are strangers to each other, we must first go through a getting-to-know-you phase.

I am an economics professor—specializing in public economics, or 'finance' in common parlance—who retired from Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics in 2007 due to age. I am retired, but I still teach as a contract lecturer at a state university. Just as it is said that trees die standing, I think professors also prefer to die at the podium. Let us discuss and elaborate on this topic further in the future, please!

The concept of a university professor evokes the concept of a scientist. Science, in my opinion, is a very complex concept; it is a complex fabric in terms of its content and functioning. To be able to unpack this topic even a little, we need to take a short journey into the world of knowledge and science.

The sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening. This statement is visually or perceptually correct, but scientifically incorrect. Because the sun neither rises nor sets. The sun travels on its own axis or orbit. The reason for the process we perceive as sunrise and sunset is not the sun, but the rotation of our world on its own axis.

In this case, the sun, given as the subject in the expression in the first sentence, is incorrect; the subject should be the world, but according to the way we perceive it, the subject is the sun.

It is seen that the difference between the appearance of a phenomenon or a process and its formation is the deep difference between information and scientificity. Please let us always keep in mind the famous expression of a genius that will frequently come onto our agenda: “If the appearance of a phenomenon coincided with its essence or the reasons for its formation, science would be unnecessary.”

Information is an image or the image of a process or formation at a certain stage. The reason for this image is the process or change in the background.

In this case, information is data, it is input, but nothing can be explained with information alone because it is a static moment. The transformation of information into a scientific mold is done through questioning causality. The “what,” “why,” and “how” questions that our teachers taught us in primary or secondary school are the questioning words used to reveal the reason for a formation.

The reason I am explaining this topic at some length is to provide a preliminary briefing that in these articles, when discussing social events with you, our valued readers, I will not just look at the issue of what happened, but will delve into the background of the event—that is, why it happened and how this formation can be interpreted.

When we move to the background of the image in the explanation of social phenomena, we encounter a system of thought that causes the formation. When we address social and economic issues in these articles, we will inevitably face the rules and functioning of the economic system.

For example, we will discuss that the reasons for the deep crisis we are going through, and who this crisis hits and who it enriches, are not coincidental but related to the rules and functioning of the economy. The fact that such discussions are taking place in media outlets is inevitable for the foundation of democracy to be well-established and to function healthily.

It is precisely for this reason that there is a news section and a commentary section in written and oral media outlets.

The news section is obliged to convey formations as information. In the commentary section, various discussants express ideas about the background in the context of the reason for the formation of the conveyed images.

However, comments can sometimes be hurtful, and even sometimes laudatory. It is easy to report news, especially on political issues, but commenting is a matter of courage and virtue. Commenting is a matter of courage, because the political authority that does not like the comment can impose various sanctions on the commentator, and even on the media outlet that hosts the comment.

We all already know and see that just as society has been polarized, media outlets have also been polarized. This process, which is extremely contrary to democracy, may keep the political power in office for a while, but it is clear that such a formation is against social welfare and happiness.

However, it is in the interest of not only society but also the political power itself to include objective comments in media outlets without targeting anyone or any office, and while respecting personal rights. That is why focusing on the facts within the framework of courtesy and for the benefit of society is the inevitable duty, and even the reason for existence, of media outlets. This must be what is meant by free media!

It is a fact that both our Turkey and global capitalism have enormous problems that seem impossible to solve in the short term. For example, the destruction of nature, the economic-functioning-related causes of climate change, rising poverty, income inequality, the education problem, the problems we encountered during the pandemic, the housing problem of students, the issue of public health, and dozens or hundreds of other problems that could be listed—I believe that by sharing and discussing these here, we will embark on a togetherness that will raise our own and each other's level of knowledge and reinforce the quality of analysis.

In this case, I want to believe that this togetherness of ours will not be in the form of a monologue, but a dialogue, and that it will serve the public good with the contributions and criticisms of you, our valued readers.

With these thoughts, I offer my love and respect to our valued readers and wish this new media outlet a successful publishing life that can be measured by its benefit to society.