Bianet

Summary

Bianet (acronym for Turkish: Bağımsız İletişim Ağı, lit.'"Independent Communication Network"') is a Turkish press agency based in Beyoğlu, Istanbul.[1] Its focus is on human rights and it is mainly funded by a Swedish organization.[2] It was established in January 2000 by journalists around Nadire Mater [tr], former representative of Reporters Without Borders, and left-wing activist Ertuğrul Kürkçü[3] and is tied with Inter Press Service. It is mostly funded by the European Commission through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR).[3]Erol Önderoğlu served as the monitoring editor for Bianet for several years. His work for Bianet included quarterly reports on free speech in Turkey.[4][5]

Bianet
Founded2000
Typenews agency
Legal statusActive
Official language
Turkish, English, Kurdish
Websitewww.bianet.org

In collaboration with EIDHR and KAOS GL, an association that focuses on LGBT rights, Bianet organized workshops concerning gender specific language in journalism in various cities in Turkey between 2016 and 2018.[6]

Controversies edit

Access to the Bianet website was briefly blocked in Turkey on 16 July 2019, after it was included on a list of 136 websites and social media accounts that were deemed a threat to national security. The block was lifted the following day, after protests, and the authorities said that Bianet had been blocked by mistake.[7]

Notes and references edit

  1. ^ "About us". Bianet. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Turkish court lifts block on foreign-backed monitoring group website". Reuters. 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  3. ^ a b "Bianet: Independent, Alternative Journalism". Bianet. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  4. ^ Kazem, Halima (6 June 2015). "Crackdowns on Turkish Media Ahead of Elections". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Erol Önderoglu, Turkey's tireless free speech advocate". RSF. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  6. ^ "Gender-Based Journalism Handbook and Online Library Project". EU Delegation to Turkey. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  7. ^ "Turkish court lifts block on foreign-backed monitoring group website". Reuters. 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2020-09-01.

External links edit

  • Bianet website (Turkish, English, Kurdish)