ISTANBUL - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that the rules of press ethics should become universal and international media training should be given priority for adoption of those rules by all media members in the world.
Speaking at the welcome reception of the World News Agencies Summit, Erdogan said that it should be the task of everyone to appreciate the journalists who put their lives at stake in Iraq. The smallest wrong information and pictures aiming at manipulation in such hot clashes and tense environments can lead to unpredictable damages in international community, said Erdogan, adding that ''that's why, the ethical rules listed as principles of press ethics should be turned into universal rules and international media education should be given priority to make people working in the media all over the world adopt these rules.''
Erdogan stated that as the mass communication had acquired a global characteristic, the responsibilities of not only the media organizations, but also the professional training institutions working in this field had increased.
Media organizations which entered the global structure especially with their capital structure and their new organizations should be the pioneers in those fields and with this respect, he though that national and global balance should be ensured, Erdogan said.
Erdogan went on saying, ''today, the sub-structure of communication offers big opportunities to globalization. This opportunity has also decreased the cost of communication. The speed has increased and intensified. Despite this, another source of very important disturbance in the globalizing environment of communication is the one-sided flow of information from developed countries to developing countries. Unfortunately, this has caused an environment against underdeveloped and developing countries. Flow of accurate daily news from developed to underdeveloped and developing countries has gained a superior status in terms of number and content of news. Therefore, you can contribute to correction of the unbalanced structure that I have mentioned by improving the cooperation among you.''
Erdogan said that few big news agencies had served at the global level for a long time but the union of news agencies which attended the World News Agencies Summit today would significantly contribute to formation of a more balanced world communication order.
Prime Minister Erdogan stated that the national news agency A.A which was founded when the country had adopted the parliamentary system had served a mission within the targets of Kemal Ataturk, the Founder of the Turkish Republic.
Ataturk voiced the need of the Turkish nation for access to accurate news by using the words, "the most accurate news'' as he mentioned about the foundation of the agency, Erdogan said. He added that Ataturk thus determined the basic principle of Anadolu Agency. Erdogan went on saying, ''the aim is not to get the news, but to get the most accurate news. Ataturk voiced the need to base the national independence movement on sound information and on sound and conscious people and community.''
''Today the need for accurate information has increased due to the information pollution which negatively affects our region and the whole world. In this context, I wish success to the news agencies which try to enlighten the people in the most accurate and unbiased way. I call all the news agencies which attend the summit to transmit more news items to prevent those who try to get interests by distorting and manipulating the realities. Your accurate news should enlighten the path of humanity,'' Erdogan added.
(BRC-Öª-AÖ) 15.04.2003