We commemorated ILAD’s founder and Honorary President Hıfzı Topuz on the first anniversary of his death on Thursday, September 26, 2024, by discussing his journalistic values.
Our association’s founder, journalist, writer, academic, and honorary president Hıfzı Topuz passed away on September 26, 2023.
On Thursday, September 26, 2024, we commemorated our professor by discussing the journalistic values he attached great importance to and keeping them alive in our memories.
We met with our members from Istanbul, Izmir, Muğla, Cyprus and our professor’s students from various faculties’ study rooms in an online meeting and commemorated our professor. His understanding of journalism, values, contributions to world journalism and the golden era of culture and education experienced at UNESCO were once again mentioned at the meeting.
Prof. Dr. Aysel Aziz
At the Hıfzı Topuz Commemoration Meeting on the First Anniversary of His Death
ILAD President Prof. Dr. Aysel Aziz explained that the Faculty of Communication, which was first established as the Press and Broadcasting School within the Faculty of Political Sciences in Ankara, was established with the initiative of Hıfzı Hoca and the contribution of UNESCO. She explained how our teacher took care of the students, how she found a scholarship for herself by writing to him without ever meeting him, and how she later participated in the establishment efforts of the communication research association İLAD upon Hıfzı Hoca’s invitation.
Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan
Üsküdar University Communication Faculty Journalism Department Head Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan explained the studies conducted in the world and in our country on the Professional and Ethical Values of newspapers and journalists and Hıfzı Topuz’s contributions to these studies.
He explained the ethical principles first declared by the ASNE Society in the USA in 1922, the Bordeux Declaration published by the International Federation of Journalists FIJ in Europe in 1954, the Mass Media Declaration published by UNESCO in 1978 with the contributions of Hıfzı Topuz, and the fundamental principle of the 1980 MacBride report, which is the view that ‘Freedom and responsibility for journalists are an inseparable whole’.
He reminded us of the stages that the studies on ethical values in Turkey, which started with the Press Ethics Law published by the Press Honorary Council in 1960, have gone through until today.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça Demet Atay
Head of the Journalism Department of the Faculty of Communication of the Near East University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça Demet Atay, explained the 6-part documentary work they did with Hıfzı Topuz. Recalling the importance that Hıfzı Hoca gave to mass communication policies, he summarized his views on this subject as follows:
“In the documentary, Hıfzı Hoca particularly focused on the ownership structure of the media. He said that in the past, newspapers in Turkey were in the hands of journalist owners, that big capital came into play in the process of the press transforming into media, and that the media passed into the hands of holding companies.
“What happens to the media and the press when they pass into the hands of holding companies?” he asked and answered his own question as follows: “Holding companies have their own interests. And the media follows a policy in line with the interests of holding companies. Holding companies have other businesses. They enter into tenders, construction businesses, shopping, import,
export… They have business with the state. All holding companies get along well with the state. So the interests of the holding companies guide the media. Then the media loses its independence. Holding companies try to get along well with the state,
they make their policies accordingly. In the end, the state indirectly seizes the media.”
ILAD member Atilla Özsever explained Hıfzı Topuz’s contribution to journalists’ organization efforts and his role in the establishment of the Journalists’ Union
Füsun Özbilgen
50 years after the UNESCO studies, Lubumbashi University in Congo gave Hıfzı Topuz an honorary doctorate with a ceremony and Rector Prof. Dr. Chabu Mumba declared Topuz as the Father of Communication in Congo. ILAD Secretary General Füsun Özbilgen, who attended this ceremony in 2013, explained:
“Hıfzı Hoca explained at the ceremony that he came to Congo 50 years ago as a UNESCO expert and organized two courses to train journalists at the time. Hıfzı Topuz, who stated that his thoughts against colonialism (neo-colonialism) were also adopted by the journalists trained in the courses, said that while he was laying the foundations of this profession here 50 years ago, he had never thought that he would encounter such a well-educated staff providing journalism education at Lubumbashi University 50 years later, but he is very happy to see the fruits of that education today.”
Dr. Recep Yaşar
İLAD Vice President Dr. Recep Yaşar, who worked on a book together with our teacher before his death, told the story of the writing of the book on the history of the Turkish Press in the Recent Period.
Üsküdar University President Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör, Hıfzı Hocan’s students Dr. İbrahim Özejder, Dr. Nejla Polat, İLAD Board Member Prof. Dr. Nilüfer Timisi, Prof. Dr. İncilay Cangöz, Dr. Engin Başçı talked about the effort, love and attention that Hıfzı Hoca gave to them and his contributions to their lives and education.
