The First Children’s Forum, 2000: Participating in the Media

Problems with the media

Our group focused on the question what is the right to participate and what is the media? and we discussed many topics ranging from freedom of thought to the media’s place in society. We looked at the television viewing and newspaper reading habits which families give their children and the representation of homeless children in the media.

The group agreed that freedom of expression entails responsibly and openly stating one’s opinions without interfering with the freedom of others. The group also talked about whether or not the media should be involved in individual freedoms.

Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 13:

The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child’s choice.

As a group, we agreed that the media made up the fourth power, coming after the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary powers, and sometimes even ranking before these, because the media can steer events at will. The media can expand a small incident into a scandal or present a scandal as a trivial occurrence.

Action for the media

What should be done?

Coverage on children’s rights in television programs, newspapers, and magazines should be ensured.

1. Children do not participate in the media (conflicts with the principle of equality); this should be ensured.
2. Under-eighteens make up half of the population of Turkey. Productions oriented to children should be given space in the press as well.

How should this be done?

• Through programs
• The press
• Posters, brochures
• Advertisements

The media should act as an intermediary in raising awareness amongst advertising companies and private agencies about children’s rights.

Who should do this?

Student representatives and provincial/district National Education Directorates.

When should this be done?

In 2001

What should be done?

Children should not be exposed to emotional and physical abuse, or stripped of their dignity.

1. Exploitation of children and divulgence of their identity in the media or the press should be prevented.
2. Children’s programs, and cartoon films in particular, should contain no elements of violence; identification with villains should be discussed.
3. Children should not be exploited in advertisements.

How should this be done?

A web site should be opened on the Internet.

A toll-free ‘child-violence’ hot line should be established.

Who should do this?

A commission made up of children;

A society to safeguard children’s rights that includes children among its members;

Dedicated state ministries and the Social Services

When should this be done?

In 2001

What should be done?

Considering that children’s rights are safeguarded by their families until a certain age, parents should screen all broadcasted and printed material.

Parents should educate their children about television-viewing habits; training should be provided to families for this purpose.

How should this be done?

TV should not be used as a surrogate baby-sitter, or as a means of reward/punishment.

TV should not be on all the time. More time should be spent on children than on watching TV.

Children should be trained to read newspapers and magazines.

Who should do this?

The media should educate families. Who should educate the media?

When should this be done?

In 2001

What should be done?

The contents of TV programs in particular should be reviewed and supervised.

1. Children’s programs other than cartoons should be developed.
2. The number of children’s news programs should be increased and news coverage by children should be specialised.
3. Children should be given the right to express themselves.

How should this be done?

A higher council should be established for the supervision of children’s programs.

Visual and sound effects that may be upsetting to children should not be used in news programs.

Who should do this?

Children

When should this be done?

In 2001

What should be done?

Let our voice be heard.

1. Let’s express ourselves within the confines of freedom and respect.
2. Adults should be made aware of children’s rights and their respect for these rights should be ensured through the media.
3. Confidentiality and ethical conduct principles should apply to children.

How should this be done?

Children’s sections similar to economic, political, and sports sections should be set up in wide-circulation newspapers. These sections should contain news and editorials about children rather than cartoons and puzzles. Children’s supplements can be published as an alternative.

Opinion on the media

Kadir, from Hatay

RTUK (Radio and Television Higher Council) penalises offensive television channels by taking them off the air. I think rather than blacking out their screens, offending TV stations should be made to pay a fine in order to stay on the air and they should have their broadcasts restricted to educational programmes, documentaries, cartoons and programs that don’t contain blood and violence.

Murat, from Isparta

We children should be asked our opinion when the media produces children’s programs. That is, what kind of programs do you like? What kind of a program should we make? … On education, on recreation, for instance.

Arzu, from Bolu

In my opinion the media should be trained by children, I mean children should be polled for their ideas and the kinds of programs they want to see on television. If you want a certain children’s song, for instance, a telephone line could be arranged for children to call in their requests.

Elif, from İstanbul

I think there should be an informative channel for children, with appropriate content for children to watch. Personally I’m not curious about what society women like Sibel Can and Hülya Avşar are doing. I don’t care about them. I want something that can educate me. I want the media to hear this. If they do it on their own, they might lose viewers, but at least a few can benefit from this.

Belkis, from Ordu

My point-of-view until two or three years ago was ‘I can’t live without watching television’. Then one day I sat down and thought to myself: ‘what does television give me -- what can I learn from some actor’s life?’ Now I watch almost no television at all, and I never feel like I’m missing anything. I even watch the main news broadcasts briefly -- what’s important to me are the headlines. If the main news bulletin in my country gives air-time to an actor’s life, where he/she went, how he/she ate, with whom he/she went, I won’t watch it at all.

Eren, from Mersin

I saw something on television the other day where some homeless children were sleeping inside a cash point. The assistant general manager arrived. If I’m not mistaken, it was the 10th of November (Atatürk’s Anniversary) because they sang the national anthem while marching and observed a minute’s silence. The assistant general manager took two of the children and put them in his car. Here they were, homeless children on the media, one sitting in the front and the other in the back of the man’s car. He said, We’ll enroll them in school. Except there were four other children there in addition to those two. So these two are human and the others are Martians?

Delegate, from Ankara

I think inexperienced people are working in the sector at present. I mean, a graduate of the faculty can’t find a job in the sector. Mostly doctors, lawyers, teachers -- people like that -- are working in the sector. I think if specially trained people are employed, they can better manage the public.

Delegate

I’d like to thank TRT1 and TRT2 on behalf of all my friends. There are approximately twenty television channels in Turkey and only TRT airs a program called ‘Child News’. We watch it all the time. We expect this kind of thing from the other channels too.

The full text of Convention on the Rights of the Child is available on this website.

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