Turkey's Bartın University marks Journalists and Press Day with ceremony

On 24 July, Bartın University in Turkey hosted a breakfast program to commemorate Journalists and Press Day, inviting local and national media representatives. Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Akkaya praised the university’s recent achievements – 254 student projects funded by TÜBİTAK, high positions in global rankings such as THE and ShanghaiRanking, a “Sports Friendly Campus” award, and plans to launch a campus radio station and AI‑focused academic programmes. He also announced the upcoming establishment of a Faculty of Foreign Languages and Tourism and the reopening of the Tourism Management department for new students.

At the same time, opinion pieces circulated questioning the celebration, with one author labeling 24 July a “coup” rather than a holiday and arguing that the day disguises a contested Ottoman legacy. The critique links the date to historical power struggles of the late 19th century and calls for a reassessment of the narrative surrounding the observance.