A journalist's job is to convey information, not emotion

Gül Tut, known by her stage name Güllü, one of the beloved artists of arabesque music, has passed away after falling from the balcony of her home. It was an untimely death that caused both shock and sadness. She made a great contribution to Turkish popular music with her voice, songs, and interpretations. She left behind a deep sense of sorrow. May dear Güllü rest in peace. 

Güllü left this world behind, leaving a pile of unanswered questions in her wake. How did she fall from the balcony? Was it a decision, an accident, or a murder? The public is reeling with many unanswered questions. However, the esteemed members of our media, as always, managed to shed light on the incident immediately. As soon as the news of the artist's death was received, some media members did not refrain from reporting that it was definitely a murder. Drawing on the rise of femicides in the country, they linked this incident directly to that issue. They are not entirely wrong; not a day goes by in this country without a woman falling victim to murder. In such a situation, of course, this is the first thing that comes to mind. Especially if you are a woman. However, should a journalist write the first thing that comes to their mind, or should they think, research, and make an assessment based on the findings they obtain? The point that distinguishes a journalist from a non-journalist is precisely this. A journalist should first go to the source of the event, collect data, and then report the news in line with the data collected. Unlike other people, a journalist should be able to establish a rational and analytical connection with the problems of the society they live in, rather than an emotional one, so that they can contribute to a solution. A journalist is a kind of opinion leader. They are the person who should enlighten and inform the public. Therefore, they can only reach the correct information by maintaining a much more sensible, rational, cool-headed, and detached stance compared to other people. Yet, the esteemed members of our media immediately get excited in the face of events, jump to conclusions, and pass judgment. 

The death of Güllü once again made us reflect on the prejudice, emotional association, biased attitudes, and laziness of our media members in their approach to events. 

They are prejudiced because the general attitude they hold toward what is happening in society or the world influences their view of all events and situations. A general attitude is, of course, important. After all, it is very natural for a journalist, as a human being and, furthermore, as an intellectual, to have an attitude, a perspective, or even an ideology regarding the world they live in. However, a journalist must maintain an impartial stance, at least in the initial stage, when faced with events and situations. They should approach each event or situation not with ready-made codes, but with new ones. While the relationship of each event and situation to the general environment should certainly be established, the possibility of it having unique aspects must also be taken into account. 

A journalist is also a human being, and therefore has emotions. It is, of course, very natural for them to establish an emotional connection with the world and society they live in. However, it is important for a journalist to be as free from their emotions as possible, at least initially, when approaching events and situations in order to reach accurate information. This is one of the underlying reasons why some journalists treated the Güllü incident as a suicide and others as a murder, and reported it with phrases like "it is definitely so." It is possible to explain most of the comments suggesting that the artist had reached her current point after a difficult struggle, that she was tired of bearing the burden of life, and that she chose to leave life, as the emotional reaction the journalist showed toward the event. Even if this is the truth behind the incident, expressing it without reaching definitive evidence is incompatible with the journalistic profession. 

Some journalists did not hesitate to link the incident directly to alcohol. This may be the case, but it is truly thought-provoking in terms of journalistic ethics that our journalists present the issue so clearly when there is no evidence yet as to how the incident occurred, and no explanation. Let's say she had been drinking, but the artist surely was not drinking alcohol for the first time in her life, nor was she hosting a musical, alcohol-fueled gathering at her home for the first time. Moreover, there is no evidence for this either. It is truly thought-provoking for the journalistic profession that scenarios written over entertainment and alcohol are shared in media outlets when there is no evidence regarding what Güllü was doing at her home that evening or who she was with. Is it becoming of journalism to write or speak in a prejudiced manner without knowing the person's lifestyle, private life, or the details of the moment the incident occurred?

The Güllü incident is just one example. Unfortunately, our media members cannot help but approach everything that happens with prejudice, with ready-made codes, with the emotional and spiritual relationship they have established with the social environment, and with their intellectual and ideological attitudes. Consequently, their relationship with society turns into an exchange of emotions rather than an exchange of information. Yet, the journalist's main job should be the exchange of information. 

To generalize the discussion a bit more, let us ask this question: At the point reached today, is our media's priority really to inform the public, or to send signals of support to certain power centers? The latter seems to stand out more.

Yet, the journalist's main job is to provide information to the public. Instead of creating excitement in society by conveying emotions, the journalist's main job is to contribute to the development of society by conveying information. On the other hand, instead of trying to curry favor with certain power centers by conveying ideology, the journalist should contribute to the development of common sense and the strengthening of public sensitivity in society by conveying information with an impartial stance. This is, of course, a laborious task. It requires working, putting in effort, researching, reading, and writing. However, unfortunately, it is easier for the journalist to approach events with ready-made codes and ready-made judgments. Then, the work done is no longer journalism.

On the other hand, every profession and field of work has its own unique culture, and the suitability of the general social environment is important for its development. The journalistic profession also has its own unique culture. For the profession to be practiced in a way that suits its character, the culture related to it must be formed. However, this is only possible with the formation of appropriate structural and functional conditions within the general system.