A weekend in Batman, Turkey

I was invited to a local journalism training program in Batman. The organizer was Batman Sonsöz daily, which is the most rated local one in Turkey. I did not know that Batman is one of the cities where local journalism is relatively powerful. It is known for Turkey’s rare oil extraction program since the 1950s. And unfortunately in the 1990s, the city was notorious for extrajudicial killings by the para-military forces, Turkish Hizbullah and PKK. The city seems to be recovering from those dark days. I was so happy to see that there are many committed journalists who see their work as a craft. I met journalists from Siirt and Mardin who attended the program. No need to say, Sonsöz daily officials were great hosts.