Ceylan Yeğinsu is a Turkish-British journalist and currently a staff reporter for The New York Times.

Life

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Yeğinsu began her journalism career in 2008 as a reporter and editor for Hurriyet Daily News, where she covered politics, culture, business and sport. She also ran a weekly column on issues of gender equality in Turkey. In 2011, she received a master's degree in Digital Media at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and was awarded the Brigid O'Hara-Forster Fellowship. As a freelance reporter and multimedia journalist in New York and Istanbul, she worked for publications including The Atlantic, The Economist, Huffington Post, International Business Times.[1]

In 2013, Yeğinsu joined the New York Times' Istanbul Bureau.[1] In September 2014, she ran a front-page story on ISIL's recruitment of Turks in the Hacıbayram neighborhood of Ankara.[2] Her report was heavily criticized by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who called the story "shameless, ignoble, treason."[3] Yeğinsu was subsequently attacked by the newspaper Star and other pro-government media,[4] and received multiple death threats. The resulting intimidation campaign against Yeğinsu forced her to temporarily leave the country.[5] The directors of Reporters Without Borders, Article 19 and the English PEN published an open letter, reminding President Erdoğan of journalists significant role in a democracy and their protection in both Turkish and international law.[3] The U.S. State Department criticized Turkey for these attempts of intimidation and threat.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ceylan Yeğinsu". Ceylan Yeğinsu. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  2. ^ Ceylan Yeğinsu (15 September 2014). "ISIS Draws a Steady Stream of Recruits From Turkey". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Open letter to president Erdogan". Reporters Without Borders. 23 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  4. ^ "Pro-Erdoğan media targets New York Times reporter". Today's Zaman. 18 September 2014. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016.
  5. ^ Alev Scott (6 July 2016). "As ISIS attacks mount, Turkey steps up its war on free speech". Newsweek. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Freedom of the Press – 2015 in Turkey". Freedom House. 2015. Archived from the original on 8 June 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2016.