CTITIZEN JOURNALISM

Turkish academic literature on communication and journalism is highlighting bianet as a showcase example for citizen journalism.

Prof. Sevda Alankuş is the educational advisor of the Independent Communication Network (BİA). Alankuş indicated that BİA is following a fast pace to become a school. bianet as BİA's internet portal for daily news is a part of the academic discussion in the context of citizen journalism. bianet.org is made the topic of academic articles that underline the attempt to establish an alternative and critical news discourse.

Researcher Tezcan Özkan Kutlu from the Department of Journalism of the Faculty of Communication Studies at the Anatolian University and researcher Dr Onur Bekiroğlu from the Department of Journalism of the Faculty of Communications at the Black Sea Technical University analyzed bianet.org in the context of citizen journalism. There study is entitled "Internet Journalism in the Context of Citizen Journalism in Turkey: An Analysis of News on the Urban Transformation Project in the Case of bianet.org" (available in Turkish only).

The article describes the analysis of news articles published at bianet.org about the urban transformation project in Istanbul. It emphasizes bianet's conscientious endeavour to accomplish journalism practices that are focused on citizen journalism.

School for alternative journalism

Regarding the purpose of the foundation of bianet, the article defines the understanding of politically and ethically responsible journalism as well as the aim to go beyond the representation of the mass media with a corresponding format. Moreover, the article describes bianet as going beyond being an independent news website that furthermore provides an alternative channel and media example to readers who want to read different news. (TÖK/BA/VK)

* The article was published in the national peer-reviewed Selçuk Communication Magazine which is part of the Social Science Database of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK)/Turkish Academic Network and Information Centre (ULAKBİM).

Original title: ""Türkiye'de Yurttaş Gazeteciliği Bağlamında İnternet Haberciliği: Bianet Örneğinde Kentsel Dönüşüm Projesiyle İlgili Haberlerin Analizi" by Tezcan Özkan Kutlu and Onur Bekiroğlu. Seçuk İletişim, Selçuk University Faculty of Communication Academic Magazine. January 2010, Vol. 6, No. 2, pages 254-269.