The winning journalists of the 23rd Metin Göktepe Journalism Awards, Seyhan Avşar, Deniz Sarıgil, Gülbahar Gündüz, Özgür Söylemez and Hüsniye Karakoyun, expressed their feelings through the clips they recorded.
Since the award ceremony could not be held due to the coronavirus epidemic, the winning journalists of the 23rd Metin Göktepe Journalism Awards bestowed this year for the 23rd time conveyed their feelings in clips.
The winning journalists of the 23rd Metin Göktepe Journalism Awards, Seyhan Avşar, Deniz Sarıgil, Gülbahar Gündüz, Özgür Söylemez and Hüsniye Karakoyun, expressed their feelings and wishes through the clips they recorded.
Seyhan Avşar, winner of the Written News Award for her report “Cleaning in return for a mansion” in Cumhuriyet newspaper, commented, “The awards given to my colleagues and me who are conducting journalism under arduous conditions are without doubt very valuable. But the Metin Göktepe award has a special place for me. I felt great honour and pride at receiving this award. I dedicate my award to all my detained colleagues. It is good that Metin Göktepe passed through this world. It is good you were born, Metin brother.”
Deniz Sarıgil, winner of the Photograph Award for the photograph entitled “Take a good look at these eyes” published in Cumhuriyet, said this award had great meaning for him: “May this award come to all journalists and photoreporters murdered while on duty and all who scream out for justice. Justice will come to this country one day and we will all bring justice together.”
For her part, Gülbahar Gündüz, co-winner of the Visual News Award with Özgür Söylemez, noted that this award had great meaning for her and said, “We tried to mirror what was taking place on refugees’ journeys of ‘hope.’ I take this award dedicating it to my colleagues who continue to be detained in prisons in these days of epidemic. We will continue to do journalism like Metin Göktepe. We will continue to write the facts and tell the truth.”
Thanking team colleagues who devoted labour towards gaining the prize, for his part Özgür Söylemez said, “I gift this award to all journalists who are detained for their journalistic activities and all press workers who are continuing to work under these most arduous of conditions.”
Tunceli Emek newspaper’s Hüsniye Karakoyun, winner of the Local Journalism Award for the serialized report “The Dersimspor bus,” stressed that she was also speaking on behalf of detained journalists and commented, “We hope that this country will reach days in which it has made peace with its diversity and does not see journalists as a threat.”
Ceren Sözeri
Yusuf Karadaş
Aras Coşkuntuncel