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Social Responsibility and Environmental Activities
 Social Responsibility ProjectsSocial Responsibility and Environmental Activities Assuming a pioneering and leading role in Turkey through social responsibility projects, Hürriyet organized numerous noteworthy events in 2009. Social Responsibility Projects End to Domestic Violence! Campaign in its sixth year Hürriyet Newspaper Corporate Communications Coordination Department carried the End to Domestic Violence! Campaign to its sixth year in 2009. The department has been organizing this campaign with the methods of a non-governmental organization, in compliance with the principles of corporate citizenship and with devotion to scientific and legal criteria. One of the best examples of corporate social responsibility projects organized in Turkey up to now, the End to Domestic Violence! Campaign went far beyond those campaigns that serve to strengthen brand image and are limited to promotional activities. For over five years, the Campaign used its media power to raise awareness in the domestic violence issue, put into practice sustainable projects and contributed to the exposure and discussion of this issue, as well as the establishment of the fact that domestic violence is not a “family affair” but a social crime - via publications, international conferences, training activities and other events. The Campaign continued to mobilize public agencies toward preventive and protective action in 2009. The first large event of the End to Domestic Violence! Campaign in 2009 was the Güldünya Songs concert organized during the week of March 8th World Women’s Day. In 2008, on November 25th, Day to End Violence Against Women, Hürriyet’s End to Domestic Violence! Campaign had released the Güldünya Songs Album, bringing together 13 prominent Turkish female singers for the first time. On March 9, 2009, the songs in the album were performed in concert. The 13 musicians who contributed to the album were Sezen Aksu, Ajda Pekkan, Nazan Öncel, Emel Müftüoğlu, Aynur, Zuhal Olcay, Aylin Aslım, Nilüfer, Şebnem Ferah, Şevval Sam, Rojin, Ayten Alpman and Funda Arar. Eight of these singers (Sezen Aksu, Ajda Pekkan, Funda Arar, Şebnem Ferah, Aylin Aslım, Şevval Sam, Aynur and Rojin), came together and sang in Istanbul at the Güldunya Concert, to put an end to violence toward women. They reaffirmed their support to the campaign and gave a message on domestic violence. The fact that Ajda Pekkan and ethnic Kurdish singer Aynur together sang a song in Kurdish and that all singers aired the Kadınlar Vardır (“Women Exist”) together, made news in all newspapers and TV channels. The proceeds of the concert were donated to the association Aralık Derneği to be transferred to the Domestic Violence Emergency Helpline. The Campaign visits a prison In 2009, the End to Domestic Violence! Campaign organized a gathering in the Bakırköy Women’s Prison on March 8th World Women’s Day, in order to boost the moral and hope of both the prisoners and the guards. Ajda Pekkan and Aylin Aslım also joined this event. Campaign officers, Pekkan and Aslım took up the issues of women’s rights and the struggle against domestic violence, in this gathering attended by hundreds of female inmates. The Campaign at the Bilge Village After the massacre which took place in May 2009 in the Bilge Village in the province of Mardin, Hürriyet’s End to Domestic Violence! Campaign organizers took their place among the experts who flocked to the village in order to relieve the trauma. The Campaign formed a psychological support group of the experts with whom it collaborates and for two days it gave its support to the victims in the Bilge Village sometimes by giving a talk, sometimes only by just being there for them. The team also took various other actions in cooperation with public authorities. Record rise in the number of incoming calls to the Emergency Helpline One of the most important pillars of Hürriyet’s End to Domestic Violence! Campaign, the Emergency Helpline was established on October 15, 2007 with the support of the Istanbul Governorship; it constitutes Turkey’s only 24/7 emergency hotline. The Emergency Helpline augmented its area of influence and the number of calls received in 2009. At the end of two years the Emergency Helpline had received 18,000 calls and offered information and legal and psychological support to 8,573 people; whereas it helped nearly 500 victims of violence with the immediate collaboration of police or the gendarmerie. The Helpline has an Istanbul phone number and was initially directed at victims living in Istanbul; however, in 2009 it received calls from 78 of the 81 provinces of Turkey and from 12 different countries, as proof to the rise in its recognition among women. The Emergency Helpline responds to incoming calls exclusively with trained psychologists and lawyers. During 2009, the Helpline strengthened its ties and collaboration with the Ministry for Women and Family, as well as the Social Services Child Protection Agency General Directorate functioning under the Ministry. The Helpline received invitations to collaborate from many governorships across Turkey; most of these demands were met. Serving as a model for all institutions in the field, the Helpline issued statistics concerning the cases dealt with and published the book “Alo Orada Mısınız?” (Hello, Are You There?), presenting Turkey’s panorama of domestic violence. The revision of the www.aileicisiddeteson.com website was launched in 2009. Explosive demand for training The nation wide demand for the training program organized by the End to Domestic Violence! Campaign increased day by day. • On January 7 and 8, 2009, public officers who work in this field and police academy students received awareness training on domestic violence, in the city of Yozgat • On January 14, 2009, in the framework of an organization by the NGO Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği (Association for the Promotion of Modern Living) an awareness meeting was organized with women from Istanbul’s Esenler district. • On January 29, 2009, members of the Istanbul Nurtepe Women’s Cooperative received trainers’ training, to be able to train the women living in their neighborhood. • The Campaign participated in the Women’s Human Rights Workshop organized on March 4, 2009 by the Istanbul Governorship. • On March 5, 2009, faculty and students of the Aydın University received training on domestic violence. • In the framework of a campaign by the Union of Istanbul Women’s Associations various public training events on domestic violence were organized in Unkapanı on January 20, 2009, in Küçükyalı on February 17, 2009, in Fatih on March 10, 2009, in Gaziosmanpaşa on March 17, 2009 in Ümraniye on April 7, 2009 and in Maltepe on April 28, 2009. • On April 30, 2009, women of Nurtepe, Istanbul received training. • From May 4 to 8 in Adana and from May 25 to 28 in Malatya, police, gendarmerie, personnel of the Agency for Social Services and Protection of Children, psychological consultants and members of NGOs were trained on domestic violence. In an effort to carry out more productive research with all authorized personnel from the agencies active in these cities, two days of interagency collaboration training was organized. The Project Coordinator participated at training sessions organized on May 12, 15, 22, June 8-12 and November 2-17, 2009 organized jointly by United Nations Population Fund, General Directorate for the Status of Women and Ministry of Justice in order to train judges and prosecutors on domestic violence. Campaign on the Liberty is Our Right Train End to Domestic Violence! Campaign visited 38 cities and eight districts on the Liberty is Our Right Train, launched for the second time on the 9th of September and ending on October 29, 2009. The Campaign team organized an event that complemented the domestic violence awareness activity of the previous year. In every city team members met with officers from those agencies that deal directly with domestic violence cases. In interactive discussions aimed at creating collaboration between agencies, issues such as the cooperation and communication between different agencies against domestic violence, the division of tasks, the identification of strengths and weakness and the overall perspective for the solution of the problem were discussed. Members of the police departments and gendarmerie, riot police, children’s agencies, domestic violence units of provincial Social Services Directorate, shelter directors, mental health units from the Health Directorate, bar associations, transfer and consulting units of National Education Directorates, province and district branches of the Sosyal Yardımlaşma ve Dayanışma Vakfı (Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation), social assistance units of municipalities, Aile Danışma Merkezleri (Family Consultancy Centers), NGOS active in issues concerning women and violence, as well as women’s studies departments from a number of universities… The Campaign team is preparing a report that will provide a holistic picture of Turkey outlining the bottlenecks and challenges faced by these agencies or caused by these agencies. Liberty is Our Right Train In recognition of the 60th anniversary of both the Hürriyet Newspaper and the issuance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Hürriyet initiated a wide scale social responsibility project for human rights in 2008 and launched the “Liberty is Our Right / Train is Freedom” Train to bring the concept of ‘rights’ to the citizens daily awareness. The train started touring Turkey once again in 2009. Through collaboration with Turkish State Railways, the Liberty is Our Right Train had made a 45 day journey the previous year, starting in Kars and ending in Edirne, going from the East to the West of the country. In 2009, the train started its journey in Izmir on September 9, 2009 and reached its final destination in Istanbul on October 29, 2009, after crossing through all regions of Turkey. The previous year, the Hürriyet Train traveled through 43 cities and two districts in 45 days placing human rights on its agenda as the priority issue. In 2009, 51 days of travel were organized with events in 34 city centers and eight districts to emphasize children’s rights; because the year 2009 was the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Liberty is Our Right Train 2009 is made up of one locomotive pulling 14 cars from which many colorful and animated events take place from train stations along the route such as concerts, plays, exhibitions, seminars and courses. These events are presented with the participation of the public, local authorities, NGOs, educational experts, writers, journalists and artists. Amnesty International, continuing its participation from the previous year, reached out to the children visiting the train with a gigantic box game explaining children’s rights, thus conveyed them their rights through an experimental game. Coca-Cola, a Project partner in 2009, organized an exhibition on the environment as part of its Hayata Artı Gençlik Projesi (Life Plus Youth Project), played environmental games with children and measured the ecological footprint and the degree of environmental awareness of visitors to “Ecological Footprint” kiosks. Under the slogan “Happiness, too, is a right,” Coca Cola officials organized fun events with their Band and Karaoke Wagon. Carried out jointly by Hürriyet Newspaper and the Platform for the Prevention of Neglect and Abuse of Children, the exhibition titled “Your Turn to Keep Quiet and Do Your Homework” explained to parents, authorities and the public what they should do to avoid the neglect and abuse of children. The “Working Children Photography Exhibition” organized by the Fişek Institute exposed the exploitation of children with regard to labor. The Akbank Children’s Theatre staged En Mutlu Kim (“Who is the Happiest?”) at every stop. Faculty and students of Kültür University photographed and video taped the 2009 journey. Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool (DASK) was another partner joining the train in 2009 and TCIP ?? raised awareness about the need for obligatory earthquake insurance. Free concerts were organized in eight cities as part of the train project. Mazlum Çimen and Pinhani took the stage in Elazığ, Yeni Türkü and Grup Gündoğarken in Gaziantep, Aylin Aslım in Antakya, Luxus and Sabahat Akkiraz in Adana, Fuat Saka and Marsis in Samsun, Buhran Öçal in Kırklareli and Baba Zula and Nabız in Edirne. The joint concert by super stars Ajda Pekkan and Yüksek Sadakat in Hasankeyf next to the Dicle River demonstrated the true spirit of the train concerts. The concert was organized in order to oppose a dam project slated to inundate Hasankeyf, nearly 10,000 people attended this event. Having spearheaded the Liberty is Our Right Train, Hürriyet visited a total of 42 locations in the Aegean, Eastern, Southeastern, Southern and Central regions of Anatolia. At every station, exhibitions and stalls were set up, bands performed at concerts, theatre and karaoke stages were built, seminar wagons opened their doors, free concerts were organized in city squares and thousands of children and adults embraced the train. National Education Directorates from regional cities almost competed with one another to bring flocks of children to the stations. In every town, the train crew exchanged information with governors, mayors, provincial directors and NGO officials on issues such as human, women and children’s rights, domestic violence and environmental protection. All of the activities of the train were announced immediately on the www.hurriyettreni.org website, serving as a historical log for Turkey’s journey of human rights. Other Organizations As the department responsible for all Hürriyet events, including New Year’s Eve parties, cocktails, conferences etc., the Corporate Communications Department organized once again the grand celebration that takes place every year in the first week of May since the newspaper’s establishment on May 1, 1948. Hürriyet employees and the top management of the Doğan Group participated in this traditional event. Once again successful employees were rewarded and employees having served the company for over ten years received badges and awards; the CEO and the Editor-in-Chief made assessments of the past year, all employees enjoyed themselves. The same joy was visible at Hürriyet’s traditional New Year’s Eve Party with singer Göksel taking the stage. Altın Kelebek (Golden Butterfly) In 2009, the 36th edition of Hürriyet’s traditional Altın Kelebek (Golden Butterfly) TV Stars Competition took place. Artists selected by the voting public received their awards, with the participation of more than 1,000 guests. The event was carried beyond Hürriyet Medya Towers and since 2006 has assumed the status of Turkey’s Oscars. Altın Kelebek 2009 was held at TİM Show Center and broadcasted live on Star TV. A Breakthrough in the Media: Readers’ Assembly Constituting a breakthrough in Turkish media history, Hürriyet Readers’ Assembly united for the second time in Istanbul, on April 18, 2009. On its 60th anniversary, Hürriyet had made a call for a Reader’s Assembly, made up of 50 Hürriyet readers from the seven regions of Turkey with the goal of improving communication with its readership. Hürriyet received 11,000 applications from readers via fax, mail and e-mail to participate in this first reader’s assembly in Turkey. The applications were evaluated by a jury comprised of Hürriyet managers and consultants; 50 members were ultimately selected to represent Turkey in terms of sex, age, education, profession, income category and geographic location. Elected for a term of one year, members of the Reader’s Assembly were hosted once in Ankara and once in Istanbul, with all travel and accommodation costs covered by Hürriyet. In the second gathering of 2009, members of the Assembly visited Hürriyet and Doğan Printing Center. They participated in the editorial meeting of the day; part of this meeting was broadcasted live on CNN Türk. back to top Paper Consumption Recycled paper accounts for 34% of the paper consumed at the Hürriyet facilities. Approximately 64,000 tons of recycled paper was used in newspaper printing in 2009. Biological Treatment Production at the DYH facilities creates industrial waste water, which is sent to special wastewater collection channels. After physical treatment (oil filters) the industrial waste water is gradually mixed with household waste water produced at the same facilities and later it is treated biologically. After biological treatment, the treated water is discharged into appropriate environments from discharge points approved by official bodies. The treatment facilities are managed by the Company; the relevant official bodies take water samples and make the necessary controls. The waste generated at the treatment facilities is kept in dangerous waste depositories constructed in line with the standards set by the Ministry of Environment; it is later sent to licensed firms for disposal. Waste paper Waste paper generated during production is stacked at collection points and disposed as scrap for recycling. Waste aluminum plates Aluminum plates used in printing are stacked at collection points and disposed as scrap for recycling. Waste Chemicals The reservoir water and solvents used in printing are not sent to treatment facilities, but put in drums and kept in dangerous waste depositories constructed in line with the standards set by the Ministry of Environment and later sent to licensed firms for disposal. Waste plastic drums and metal barrels Drums and barrels of chemicals used in production, such as reservoir water, solvents and oils are stored in waste collection points and later sent to licensed firms for disposal. Used mineral oil Mineral oils to be replaced are not discharged to the sewage system but are sent for analysis at laboratories licensed by the Ministry of Environment and are given or sold to license firms, according to report results. Used Electronic Equipment Used PC and monitors, printer cartridges etc. are given or sold to recycling firms licensed by the Ministry of Environment. Used Fluorescent Bulbs Used fluorescent bulbs are kept in dangerous waste depositories constructed in line with the standards set by the Ministry of Environment; and later they are sent to licensed recycling firms for disposal. Gas Emissions The newspaper printing machines run on electricity; there is no gas emission to the atmosphere during production. Environmental Cleanup The cleanup of the environment surrounding the facilities is undertaken by cleaning firms every day, in a regular manner. Maintenance of Green Space and Plantation of Trees The greening of the area reserved as green space in all facilities is undertaken by specialist firms in a regular manner. Environmental Health and Protection of the Environment in Administrative Buildings The industrial waste water generated at the Company headquarters (Hürriyet Medya Towers) is regularly sent to a waste water treatment firm. The cooling facilities at the Company headquarters were renewed four years ago and supplied with a new generation environment-friendly cooling gas; R 134. Special attention is paid to make sure that all newly purchased cooling devices utilize environment-friendly cooling gases. The Halon fire-extinguishers on the premises’ fire fighting system were removed and replaced by a system involving the FM 200 gas that is more environment-friendly and is in compliance with EU standards. No law suits have been filed against the Company due to environmental damage claims. Disclosures to the Shareholders Donations and Aids
The composition of the TL 727,777 (2008: TL 985,315) of donations made by the Company to various foundations and associations working for the public good are as follows (TL):
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