Nazlı Çelik, one of the most successful and popular newscasters in Turkey, believes that becoming a master in one’s discipline is an individual journey, not a process. Çelik says the key to success is hard work and being passionate about what you do.
You’ve been on TV for a long time. You’re one of the most well-known newscasters in Turkey. How do you manage the responsibility that comes with this?
I feel I have serious responsibilities to my dear country. I’ve accumulated a certain level of knowledge in my profession, which I’ve been doing selflessly and lovingly for many years. Back when I was both a reporter and a manager, I followed the news to fulfil my responsibilities. I loved my job as much as I loved my country. No matter how sensitive the topic is, I always worked with this principle in mind.
You’ve been trained in both broadcasting and psychology. In what ways have these disciplines intersected in your career?
This question is important to me. I studied individual psychology but, throughout my career, I’ve always tried to closely examine, see, and understand the social psychology in Turkey and worked towards that goal. Especially for the last 15 years, I’ve followed how social psychology works. Every day, as I tried to reflect the national agenda on the news, I always had our nation’s collective psychology in my mind.
Which do you believe is more important to gain mastery in a field; theory, or practice?
Becoming a master depends on how many years one is willing to spend on something they love and care about, how deep one can think about it, how hard one can work for it, and having the motivation to never give up. However, the process of mastery does not have an end; it’s a journey. I’m passionate about my job and have been collecting experiences for over 20 years. I’ve seen and lived a lot but who knows what the future holds? Each occurrence is another milestone on the way that paves mastery.
Theoretical knowledge is encyclopaedic; I’m not looking down on it but practical knowledge is the real one. The ideal thing is to maintain a balance between the two.
Do you believe in keeping your professional and social identities separate?
The moment we’re born, we begin to build ourselves a sense of individuality. We also have a professional identity, which we start to create in our early 20s. There are times when the two identities intersect or go their separate ways. If you love what you do, it means you have blended your identities in harmony. However, our job is what we do, it isn’t our whole lives. There’s life outside of what one does for a living. At this point, I prefer to bring my public identity to the foreground. As the name implies, my private identity is reserved for me and my family. I expect people to respect privacy because I behave accordingly as well.