Naturally, there was a period when the newspaper crawled on all fours. Then efforts to stand on its own feet, and later moved to express itself more freely… Finally adolescence.
Thank God we’re talking about a youth “shaped in the clutches of a scorpion,” not an expression for every step of a greenhorn teenager...Young, dynamic, agile, and swift; but without haste or haughtiness in its stance. Not only can an endless vista be seen from the contemplative horizon reached, but at the same time the evaluation of an inner journey to profound depths is being witnessed. Perhaps just for this reason it’s necessary for Zaman to think about its future instead of its past…
It’s obvious that important mileage has been made, but the road to be traveled is still very long. For this reason, I don’t want to write an imitative piece squeezed into the repetitive phrase, “Wow! Look at what we have accomplished!” I believe that you don’t expect this either. As we look at the hopes that have bloomed in the course of the last 20 years, it is our duty to think of the things that need to be squeezed into the next 20 years. Twenty years is not even a long period in a human life. When it is thought of in regard to an institution, a newspaper in particular, 20 years is a period of time that flows by like water.
This is particularly true if the newspaper in question claims to be a prism dedicated to reflecting all the country’s colors. Especially if this newspaper gets its strength from an overall view of the universal rainbow of a civilization’s worldview that is all-inclusive..
Especially if this newspaper is deeply in love with its country and deeply concerned about all creatures on earth. Especially if this newspaper invites its readers to use common sense and is a candidate for flag bearer of sound ideas, and if, without bowing to any discrimination and without dividing or becoming divisive, it puts forth an illuminating courage that embraces everyone…
We have to go on our way with songs full of hope for the future all the way until the paper fully proves itself. In order to be one of this country’s reliable reference sources, it’s necessary, before anything else, to take refuge in the virtue of knowledge. It is necessary to present professional skills along with our own cultural perspective to world public opinion.
Yes, knowingly and eagerly I say, “world public opinion,” because the biggest problem with our country’s newspapers is that they are mirrors that don’t reflect the truth itself.
The type of syndrome changes with the type of the mirror. The period of journalism with the sharp judgments of ideologies has long since ended; sensational publication based on making an uproar within the country’s borders has become outdated. The era of dividing people into categories with a tribal mentality, as in “with us” or “against us” and treating them accordingly, is over…
But, in fact, surpassing one’s self is more difficult than boring through majestic mountains. The media, having watched itself in amazement and awe, and having become mesmerized, is still asking, “Mirror, mirror, is there anyone more beautiful than me?” and is drifting off into new dreams with the imaginary answer it got (or maybe gave).
In fact, Turkey needs many quality newspapers. Since brute force is resorted to instead of competing for quality, we have to remain content with newspapers confined within the borders of this country.
However, instead of only critical journalism, we need journalism that guides and adds to our world of knowledge. When this need is fully understood, there will be meaning in speaking of new press models that technological advances have imposed. Otherwise, the current difficulties will continue and the value of forcefully gilded name-brands will erode and vanish…
Regardless of which technological dimensions the newspaper of the future gains, still it will get its power from reliability. It will be possible to embrace the future in a complex news traffic - in which information sources surround individuals and societies from all sides - by two ways: You’re going to lead, quickly go the distance and interpret today’s events for tomorrow. Plus, you will get to the heart of the matter without drowning in daily topics and put forth analytical and strategic approaches that help to separate the issue’s essence from its periphery.
Zaman Newspaper has taken and continues to take important steps on these topics. The style it persistently follows in its understanding of news reporting recommends depth of knowledge and professional expertise. Maybe its fruits cannot be fully seen today, and perhaps the information vacuum experienced today in some news remains an important weakness, but it is already obvious that Zaman is on its way towards becoming a school and a style.
