Lord Hussain, a friend of Turkey, hosts a special media session for the GJC

In London, the capital of the United Kingdom, a delegation from the Global Journalism Council (GJC) was the guest of Lord Baron Hussain at a special media session in the House of Lords, where ‘Media and public diplomacy’ and potential cooperation and projects between the Turkish and British communities were discussed.
Organized by the Global Journalistm Council (GJC) UK Representative Office, the meeting was also attended by GJC President Mehmet Ali Dim, GJC UK Representative Vatan Öz, and GJC founding member Aynur Tattersall. At the meeting, held in a special meeting room in the historic British Parliament building, Lord Baron Hussain delivered important messages to the Turkish community. GJC President Mehmet Ali Dim emphasized the importance of media diplomacy in traditional and social media and digital platforms. GJC UK Representative Vatan Öz shared proposals for cooperation in the media field.

5 O’CLOCK TEA MEETING

The meeting with Lord Baron Hussain, a friend of Turkey (whose real name is Qurban Hussain), over the classic British tradition of 5 o’clock tea took on both historical and symbolic meaning, combining modern diplomacy and journalism. Hussain, a British-Pakistani liberal democrat politician and a lifelong holder of the British peerage title, recounted his life story and established a direct connection with the Turkish community. Lord Hussain said:

“I came to this country when I was 14. My father was working here and my family joined him. I grew up here, learned English, and became involved in the voluntary sector, trade unions, and local politics. I was first elected 30 years ago, then ran for parliament. Although I was not successful, in 2010 my party asked me to represent them in Alfred Lords. People from other countries and my Turkish friends, you have formed a very vibrant community in England. By working together with our ambassadors and at many meetings, I support the causes of Turkey and our Turkish friends. The Turkish community needs to be more involved in British politics. Get involved in the decision-making process; change can only happen this way. Defending the rights of the TRNC is our responsibility as the Turkish community. There are no limits to the progress of any community in this country. You can contribute to British politics by supporting both Turkish and TRNC issues. You can be successful in business; many Turkish businesspeople have achieved this. However, we must be more active in politics. Turks in the UK, join a party of your choice: Labour, Conservative, or Liberal Democrats—it doesn’t matter. But I would be very pleased if you joined the Liberal Democrats.

DİM: BUILDING MEDIA BRIDGES

Speaking later, General President Mehmet Ali Dim emphasized the importance of media diplomacy on social media and digital platforms, stating:

“Media diplomacy means building bridges between cultures and promoting ethical journalism standards. The 5 o’clock tea we shared with Lord was a symbolic and historic step toward this goal. Journalism is rapidly changing, especially with the impact of digitalization and social media. One of our biggest concerns is the spread of disinformation as social media enters the realm of traditional media. Statistics show that approximately 86% of social media posts are unverified or fake content. It is precisely at this point that the Global Journalism Council (GJC) takes responsibility. The contribution of the representatives here has been significant in making us an effective professional organization in our country and internationally. I would like to thank Mr. Hussain very much. This acceptance and warm interest made us very proud.”

SUMMARY: COOPERATION IS CRUCIAL

Vatan Öz, noting that the GJC has representatives in 80 countries, stated that they will continue to represent the GJC in the best possible way as the UK representative. He emphasized the importance of cooperation between Turkish journalists and the international press, saying:

This protocol and the ‘Tea with the Lord’ meeting marked a first step in strengthening GJC activities in the UK and reinforcing communication and ethical standards among journalists. We evaluated potential areas of cooperation between the Global Journalism Council (GJC) and the Foreign Press Association (FPA). We discussed joint projects that could be carried out with journalists’ associations and councils in the UK. We took concrete steps towards cooperation with the FPA. This meant that the GJC’s posts would appear on the FPA’s social media accounts.”

ON RECORD

The meeting was not just a tea break, but went down in history as a historic step for Turkish media and Turkish-British public diplomacy. In addition to Dim, Öz, and Tattersall, Türkan Akbaş, President of MÜSİAD UK, also attended the meeting.