Back in early 80´s, at a time when we are seeking part time employment to support our university expenses; we found what we were looking for in a newspaper. We were offered night shift positions at the foreign news desk where we were supposed to translate news learning the ABC of newswriting stuff from the 30-40 year olds in the office. 

The first thing we learned about journalists was that they are more prone to heart attacks as overworked individuals in whose lives there are much more stress, chain-smoking tobacco addiction, and a salary that leaves much to desire. I believe this general portrait is still the same regardless of the years that have passed.

Having found the opportunity to guarantee a free dinner everyday, we did not question the salary all that much. By the look of the things, we would receive enough money to let us keep  coming to the office. From a financial point of view, what we did  was a total waste of time but then we were learning a new job considered special. Journalism was indeed special because it served the purpose of informing people of the truth. For many journalists of the day, this was essentially what lured them into this world of underpaid misery. Bosses of the day had political inclinations and missions other than mere journalism. They supported causes usually without minding the economics of the business. Objectivity was a hard to find asset in a world of ideological conflicts.

Then one day, Reagan gave a speech on TV introducing us to then new terms like Global Village and globalism etc. Accordingly, here and there virtually everywhere borders would be removed, things would be more open. This was certainly a beginning of a large scale transformation from the cold war era into one with wars getting hotter than ever. Gorbachov made his own contribution to the new concept salad by tokenizing glastnost meaning openness. Eventually, all the doors of the KGB were opened to the public and ex-agents were free to be elected presidents. 

Optimism was in the air and the new age was celebrated with the bombings of Grenada and Libya. 

The spread of the free market economy also created a new class of entrepreneurs who began investing more in intangible commodity like  intellectual property, computer software etc. Press would of course not stay out of this and it didn´t.  One day a newfangled media boss  declared that he wanted to run his newspaper just like he would a supermarket. He said people´s preferences would drive the paper. Accordingly, he fired some of his experienced columnists and trust this job to celebrities whom he said were adored by society. That was actually the beginning of the end of journalism in Turkey. True Turkish newspapers had never been renowned for accuracy and impartiality but in each one of those newspapers there were people who were believing in what they were doing and people who were looking forward to better days. What was ending therefore was their kind of journalism.

Today, newspapers are full of news favouring comrade investment groups with pagesful of accusations directed at the rival investment group. Each and everyone of them fell into the hands of some rich family who began using these newspapers to their own political and financial interests.

As a natural result of this, majority of people in Turkey don´t believe in the Turkish Media. This is the bitter truth about journalism in Turkey.

Being able to trust in your national media is a very important indicator of a well functioning society with working links among its essential organs. Such a society can be much more efficient than those which are inflicted with never ending trust crises.

How is the situation in your countries? Do you trust your media or do you think what happened to the Turkish media has actually been a part of a global trend.

Unfortunately the "old days" of the Fourth Estate are rare now. One should look at who owns the publication, or media outlets. Most are owned by entities who have an interest in presenting certain "viewpoints".

I think there are some excellent sources, but still, one should look at a variety of sources to get a rounded view.

I absoutely do not trust our media!  The media has a duty to us to report the news and not their opinions.  Clearly whats going on in my world today, the media has pushed their own subjective biased point of views to the listener or viewer.  The media clearly has an agenda of their own.

What´s even more concerning is that people in my country take the media at face value, instead of taking responsibility to research and educate themselves on the real facts. 

Journalism has died!

Teaschip says "Journalism has died!"

I think teaschip is right unfortunately.

Journalism must be straight, honest, objective, neutral, based  ( proof-evidence), independent and informative without certain viewpoints and approaches. 

Becauce it is their function, duty, mission, responsibility and social role.

+1

Well said Yilgun!

 Yes well said.  Unfortunately, it doesn´t sell quite so many papers.

Yes. That happens when the desire to make money is a bigger factor then doing their job. This shows another problem with capitalism and how it is destroying us from within.

I´m all for market forces that work in favour of the consumer, without compromising the working conditions and pay of the general work force

I guess there´s no perfect system, as someone always ends up the loser and there´s usually a greedy fat cat (sorry CW, not a reference to you )  somewhere along the line, ready to take advantage in whatever way possible.