Uğur Mumcu was born on August 22nd, 1942. After his studies at the Ankara University Faculty of Law, he practiced as a lawyer for some time. Switching to journalism in 1974, Mumcu defended democracy and human rights in his writings, which he based entirely on concrete knowledge and facts, never betraying the principles of his profession. He regarded "the crime of our age" is to remain silent and indifferent about events of life. "A murderer is a murderer, no matter if from the right or left."- He pressed for the investigation of many cases of the murder, without looking their political identity, of those who were murdered for their convictions and from terrorist attacks. He provided concrete evidence about the relation between acts of terror and arms traffickers and about the national and international aspects of the steadily rising reactionary organizations. He shared with the people the results of his investigation that revealed the interconnections of the problem of Kurds and Southeast Turkey, arms trafficking, terrorism, corruption, foreign intelligence services, the Mafia and the attempted assassination of the Pope. He served as the "Memory of the People", owing greatly to his understanding of journalism and feeling of responsibility that the identity of his sources of information would never be disclosed. Uğur Mumcu was a pioneer in investigative journalism in Turkey, and he was internationally renowned as "an expert on international terrorism". With his pen alone, he fought against imperialism, corruption, reactionary ideology and terrorism. Mumcu was awarded many times for his work. Uğur Mumcu was assassinated by the explosion of a bomb that was fixed to his car on January 24th, 1993. During his lifetime he published 25 books analysing and discussing the topical problems of Turkey. After his murder, his family founded the "Uğur Mumcu Investigative Journalism Foundation" to continue spreading his thoughts and principles and to train young journalists who will share his understanding of journalism. The Foundation has compiled Mumcu's essays and research articles, which he composed between 1962 and 1993, in 40 books.
Uğur Mumcu's Understanding of Journalism
How would you define a journalist?
Who is the journalist, what does s/he do?
What is his/her function?
Is journalist a person arguing ideas in every field, knowing everything?
No. How can a journalist know everything?
Let me make a definition from my point of view:
- Journalist is a person who reaches the news and information source in shortest time possible and who presents this news and information s/he gathered to the readers.
In order to achieve this mission, the journalist must write articles based on news, events, concepts, documents and information, which requires the journalist to be a reliable person. The journalist has to keep secrets, s/he should know how to keep the sources of news and information confidential, and should dare to dispute with the governments and powers when necessary.
(Milliyet, 3 May 1992)
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION
Uğur Mumcu Investigative Journalism Foundation (um:ag) was established in October 1994 by Güldal Mumcu, Özgür Mumcu and Özge Mumcu, wife and children of the Investigator-Journalist Uğur Mumcu, who was assassinated by a bomb fixed under his car on 24 January 1993 and who did not sacrifice anything from his social sensibility and responsibility throughout his whole life. The aim of the Foundation is to continue to spread the ideas and principles of Uğur Mumcu and to encourage young journalists who are sensible about social problems, who have ideals of labor and humanity, to work in the field of journalism.
Apart from its main objective, um:ag is also serving as a culture-art-education center together with its opportunities of literature, philosophy, painting, cinema activities, children projects and some in-service training activities that it provides for people from all ranges of age, who rejects to be ordinary.
um:ag also publishes and presents its readers the publications about Uğur Mumcu, some collections, research articles and reports written on journalism and social problems as well as all the works and articles of Uğur Mumcu which are priceless sources of reference for those who wants to understand the past and today. Uğur Mumcu Investigative Journalism Foundation, which has the status of a foundation in the public interest, is serving with its departments established in accordance with its objective, that are Management, Financial-Administrative Affairs, Education, Culture and Art, Publishing, Public Relations.
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
The foundation carries out various education programs, which are their first kind in Turkey, with the aim to encourage young people to be specialized in the profession that will spread Uğur Mumcu's understanding of journalism and to ensure share of information, skills and sensibility among individuals who question themselves and the world, who have artistic and literary sensibility, resisting against the ordinariness of the era that is being imposed on us.
To this end, um:ag hosts hundreds of participants every year at seminars organized on literature, philosophy, cinema and drawing, summer activities for children and in-service training programs.
Investigative
Journalism Education Program: Uğur Mumcu defined the three
biggest challenge that the press encounters as terror, prevention
of freedom of press and monopolization in the global world. He
further added that these hindrances also violated the right of
the journalist to inform and the right of the public to be informed.
The Investigative Journalism Education Program is organized to
educate young people who will continue to spread Uğur Mumcu's
understanding of journalism in the profession. 14 of the young
participants who have attended this program providing certificate
from the Ministry of National Education (MEB), scholarship from
the foundation and the first of which was carried out in 1995,
are now working in written and visual media.
Seminars: Our seminars were their first kind in Turkey
being started in 1996 by um:ag and reached over 1000 participants
by the autumn of 2003. The seminars are for those who wish to
acquire a different perspective in literature, philosophy and
cinema and those who wish to express themselves through literature
and art. Our seminars are held three times in a year being in
October, January and April with 2.5 month-periods.
In-service Training Programs: In-service trainings, having
an outstanding importance in the development of societies, are
organized by um:ag in accordance with the requirements of institutions
and organizations.
International Training Activities: um:ag started the international
training activities in order to cooperate with the training and
education institutions in western countries so as to share their
experiences presenting successful examples of investigative journalism
and to transfer these experiences to its own participants.
Drawing Studies (first, there was drawing...) : Drawing
studies started on May 21st, 2001 are open to everyone who wishes
to enrich his/her life with a new dimension, to enhance his/her
drawing, and those who are preparing to enter painting, ceramic,
graphics, interior architecture, art education departments of
faculties of fine arts.
"The Sun Inside Me" Summer Activities for Children:
These activities have been carried out since the year 2001, in
order to develop creativity, problem-solving skills, individual
and social identities of children between the ages 9-12 and encourage
them to free self-expression.
PUBLISHING
DEPARTMENT
um:ag Publishing Department compiled all the works and articles of Uğur Mumcu, which are comprehensive sources of reference for those who wants to understand the past and today, and the collections and research articles about Uğur Mumcu in a book. Moreover, the department also publishes some collections, research articles and reports written on journalism and social problems.
All the works are complied under the titles below:
All
Works Serial: Includes the books written by Uğur Mumcu while
he was alive and collections published after his assassination
compiling the interviews and research articles published
in various press organs.
All Articles Serial: The serial is composed of the articles
and essays written by Uğur Mumcu between the years 1962-1993.
Selections Serial: Collections arranged from the articles of Uğur
Mumcu under certain titles are complied in the selections serial.
Other um:ag Books: Apart from the books of Uğur Mumcu,
research articles and reports written on social problems,
journalism and Uğur Mumcu are complied by the Foundation in a
book presented to the reader within the scope of other um:ag publishings.
Special Serial: These are publishings comprising new works
written on new topics that are in compliance with the aim of establishment
of the Foundation.
CULTURE/ART
DEPARTMENT
The Culture/Art Department, carrying out its activities in order
to ensure the spread of art in every field of our lives in our path
towards modernization, is organizing activities, discussions, seminars
and conferences in literature, art and cinema, and supports the
artistic and cultural activities of some institutions and organizations
out of the Foundation with an understanding of solidarity.
Art Gallery: An area of 61 square meters in the Foundation
building is arranged as a gallery equipped with high technical capacity
with the aim to provide the opportunity for the artists and their
works to meet with the audience.
The first exhibition of um:ag Art Gallery was opened on April
13th, 1999 by the pictures donated by various artists. All these
invaluable pictures are being exhibited in turn apart from the exhibition
schedule. In addition, these pictures, which can also be seen on
our site, can be purchased from the Foundation.
The artists whose works have been exhibited in um:ag Art Gallery
since 1999...
Gökşin Sipahioğlu, Ahmet Selim Sabuncu, Ara Güler, Şakir Eczacıbaşı,
Ozan Sağdıç, Emine Ceylan, Nazif Topçuoğlu, Guido Piacentini, Güneş
B. Kocatepe, Reha Akçakaya, Arzu Filiz Güngör & Yalçın Çıdamlı,
Tan Oral, Ali Ulvi Ersoy, Semih Poroy, Ross Thomson, Turan Selçuk
and Mehmet Güleryüz
Cinema Club: The film performances of um:ag Cinema Club,
started in March 2000 to revive the Sinematek spirit, are being
continued simultaneously with the Cinema History Seminars of our
foundation. The films viewed at our club, which are selected examples
of the ages discussed during our Cinema History Seminars and which
are greatly appreciated by the film-fans of Ankara, are in English
or with English subtitles.
Halls: Uğur Mumcu Investigative Journalism Foundation provides
the following halls for other institutions and organizations as
well, besides using in its own activities.
JUSTICE
AND DEMOCRACY WEEK
In our country, where we have suffered a lot as the whole society
from the closest and furthest cycles of "unidentified"
murders, it is a requirement of being an intellectual to resist
against the imposition of the concept of "unidentified".
Justice and democracy can only be established in a society by
increased number of citizens fighting against impositions, pressures,
intolerance, torture and injustice.
With this fact in our minds, the week between 24 and 31 January
indicating the anniversaries of the assassinations of the investigator-writer
Uğur Mumcu on January 24th, 1993 and Prof. Muammer Aksoy on January
31st, 1990, is agreed together with democratic NGOs, to be declared
as the "Justice and Democracy Week".
The Justice and Democracy Week being organized since the year
1994 is a common success of the democratic NGOs, local governments
and all the intellectuals who do not remain silent, cooperating
for the institutionalization of democracy and justice.
The Justice and Democracy Week, in which all the preliminary preparations,
correspondences and communication among the NGOs are undertaken
by um:ag, is being carried out by an increasing participation
of many NGOs, institutions and organizations, local governments
and volunteers both inside the country, notably Ankara, and from
abroad.
Together with the participation of all democratic NGOs every year
in Ankara, remembrance ceremonies, starting in front of the house
of Uğur Mumcu, discussions, public meetings, seminars and exhibitions
are held throughout the week with the participation of thousands
of people.
um:ag will continue its works developing by the support
of all sensible individuals and institutions sharing this belief
and thought.
"
This page is translated into English by EDF Conference Interpretation
Co. Ltd" >>