I am hitting Doğan Media Group (DMG) papers recently but how I missed Akşam? Owned by a once-bigger media conglomeration, Akşam’s bitter tone should be noted when one talks about the Ergenekon case. Normally, I respect Akşam’s position. Compared to major Doğan papers, it occupies a more neutral standing and unlike Vatan daily who had boasted about being independent (but then sold to DMG), Akşam stayed relatively independent. Its chief editor Serdar Turgut has an intellectual level well beyond many of his counterparts. -But of course he rejected to talk to me for my dissertation despite the talk I made with his secretary, several times. So Erkan does not like him anymore (!) and be believes his frequent quotes from famous philosophers and social theoreticians are all farcical-
Anyway, it should be noted that one of its columnists, Güler Kömürcü, had allegedly a significant role in Ergenekon.
The paper’s general strategy is to attack the weak points of Ergenekon indictment. An intense words of exchange with a correspondent confirmed this.
Its media gossip columnist Oray Eğin constantly attacks Taraf. First wave of attacks questioned the latter’s financial sources implying they were given credits from state banks. This did not work. He is now happy to find out the real financial sources: Advertisements! Major ads come from AKP friendly businesses. Their ads can be found in other dailies, mostly in more Islamic press. So, Mr. Eğin, argues here is it. Taraf is financed by AKP. This is a crude argumentation. He has an insulting language all over. The logic of business and advertising works like that anyway. Businesses spend money on ads that will appear in not-hostile media. And so what? For me the most important thing about Taraf is that they published the leaked documents and made Ergenekon a national story. That’s what really annoys those who are deliberately stucked in their small worlds. And one more word, unlike let’s say Hürriyet columnists, Akşam columnists are younger and educated in the recent language of social sciences (i.e. Hence when criticising Orhan Pamuk, this is not because he betrayed his nation but he observes the nation like an Orientalist)….
The Future of Investigative Journalism Part 1 – Interview: "Flat Earth News" author Nick Davies
He may be an investigative journalist by trade, but Guardian (UK) writer Nick Davies is not shy to criticize his own profession. Davies made headlines across the globe with the February 2008 publication of his book, Flat Earth News, a searing indictment of investigative reporting and modern journalism. The book, which details issues such as illegal acts committed by journalists on the job and "churnalism", or barely fact-checked information rehashed from PR professionals and spin-doctors, turned the spotlight on the news industry, launching a debate within the ranks of news professionals about the challenges facing the industry.
The Future of Investigative Journalism Part 2: Lowell Bergman – "No resurgence in real reporting until the economic questions are resolved."
Lowell Bergmann is a ground breaking investigative reporter, a producer/correspondent for the PBS documentary series "Frontline" in the US and he spent 14 years as a producer with CBS’s "60 Minutes".
Bergman shared a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service with The New York Times in 2004 for "A Dangerous Business," (which detailed a record of egregious worker safety violations coupled with the systematic violation of environmental laws in the iron sewer and water pipe industry) and is a Professor at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Furthermore, he is a co-founder of the Centre for Investigative Journalism and a consultant at ProPublica, an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.
US: Hurricane forces print to stop, online reporting continues
Hurricane Gustav in the US may have prevented some newspapers from publishing their print edition for two days, but not from having 24-hour online coverage on their websites.
US: Podcasts gain popularity
Internet users who downloaded podcasts to watch or listen to later increased from 12% to 19% since last year, according to a study by The Pew Internet and American Life Project. In early 2006, only 7% of Web users downloaded podcasts for later use.
Opinion: New media may help advocate peace journalism
New media like blogs may be helping to "demystify" the Middle East and advocate peace journalism, even though it may seem as though there are more bloggers than readers, according to Jaron Gilinsky, journalist and documentary filmmaker in Jerusalem.
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RE: Aksam
Just a thought/question: Is it very common for journalists/editors.. to quote or reference philosophers and social theoreticians? This just struck me because I am not sure how common this is for editors in other countries and I remember being puzled by this before when reading your blog…? I don’t think it is very usual in the UK. Of course, I don’t know how often it occurs or whether it is only in discussion of certain themes/issues…
It is not common. But since there are more columnists than many other countries in Turkey. You might one more. Serdar Turgut quotes from Zizek or frequently mentions who he reads. Taha Akyol (of Milliyet) also quotes from scholarly works and he is known to apply- sometimes crudely- theoretical writings to current issues. There are certainly others but these two names comes to my mind immediately.