Mehmet Zekariya Sertel 1890-1980

Mehmet Zekeriya (Sertel), who was born in 1890 in the town of Ustrum, on the borders of Macedonia today, has been influenced by the intellectual atmosphere of the city of Thessaloniki where he went to study. The training he received here provided for the formation of the idea structure and the transition to the journalism profession. Continuing to journalism in Istanbul, where he went because of immigration, did not prevent his desire to complete his education. For the first time in Paris, where he got his scholarship, has got him to know new concepts like social rights, justice and democracy. When he returned, he married Mrs. Sabiha (Sertel) and was appointed to the first public office in Aşâîr Branch Administration. At the same time he did not break his bond with journalism. He published newspaper "Turan" with his friend. Then he published the "Büyük Mecmua" on his own. During the occupation period, he was briefly imprisoned by the British. Meanwhile, he received a scholarship from Charles Richard Crane to study journalism at Columbia University. When he returned, he was the first General Director of the Press of the Republic of Turkey. However, the sensational resistance prevented him from remaining in this position. So he came back to Istanbul and published the "Resimli Ay" journal. In these years he met his friend and close- friend Nazim Hikmet. Thenhe published the second everyday newspaper "Son Posta". He published the first encyclopedia of the country "The Encyclopedia of Life" as ten volumes. After a while, the newspaper he has released was destroyed by an attack called "Tan incident". Then he left the country in 1950. Mr. Mehmet Zekeriya Sertel, who took place in 1977, died on 11 March 1980, at his home in Paris. Mehmet Zekeriya Bey, who did not hesitate to say that he knew correctly throughout his life, had a patriotic, democratic and libertarian structure. At the same he was a democratic journalist against Turan and Turkism and also approaching imperialism, fascism, gentleness, He was the only press officer who could bear the identity of "a democratic journalist in three periods" in the simplest terms. Key Word: Mehmet Zekeriya Sertel, Sabiha Sertel, Ziya Gökalp, Turan Gazetesi, Büyük Mecmua, Resimli Ay, Nazım Hikmet, Son Posta Gazetesi, Tan Gazetesi, Tan Olayları.