19.12.2025 23:40
At the "Digital Journalism and Media Workshop" organized by the Turkish Internet Journalism Association in Şanlıurfa, Nevzat Çiçek, the Editor-in-Chief of Independent Türkçe, highlighted the structural problems of journalism in the region in his presentation titled "Being a Journalist in the Middle East." Çiçek emphasized that the biggest problem in producing news about the Middle East is the lack of sufficient understanding of the region and the dependence on external perspectives.
The reasons why Middle Eastern news frequently finds itself at the center of manipulation and propaganda discussions were discussed in Şanlıurfa. Speaking at the "Digital Journalism and Media Workshop" organized by the Turkish Internet Journalism Association, Independent Turkish Editor-in-Chief Nevzat Çiçek warned that journalism conducted without understanding the region could unintentionally turn journalists into propaganda tools.
"THE ISSUE IS NOT THE GEOGRAPHY, BUT YOUR WAY OF READING THE GEOGRAPHY"
Stating that the Middle East is a complex geography, Çiçek said that the real issue is related to how this geography is understood. He expressed that news about the region is largely based on foreign and orientalist sources, saying, "We are still trying to understand the Middle East through texts written by others."
LACK OF SPECIALIZATION WEAKENS JOURNALISM
Çiçek pointed out that specialization in Middle Eastern journalism is increasingly declining, noting that the idea that young journalists can work in every field has become a disadvantage. He stated that journalists without expertise often become dependent on search engines, expressing that this poses a serious obstacle to healthy journalism.
"YOU CANNOT MAKE NEWS WITHOUT KNOWING THE GEOGRAPHY"
Çiçek emphasized that news made without knowing the historical background of Middle Eastern countries would be incomplete and erroneous. Giving the example of Syria, Çiçek stated, "Describing Syria after 2011 is different; describing it by reading through the Ottoman period presents a completely different picture."
PROPAGANDA WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Çiçek noted that the Middle East is the center of an intense propaganda war conducted through journalists, highlighting that this geography is also the region where the most journalists have lost their lives. He stated that the right to access news is consciously obstructed, and expressed that some journalists promoted internationally can also become biased over time.
"IF YOU LACK SPECIALIZATION, YOU BECOME VULNERABLE TO MANIPULATION"
Çiçek pointed out that conducting journalism by observing the region from a distance carries significant risks, stating that Al Jazeera is one of the partially successful examples in this field. He emphasized that journalists without expertise and field knowledge can easily be manipulated, saying, "While acting with the reflex of delivering news quickly, you unknowingly end up carrying the message of others."