July 16, 2016 - Turkish people protest against the coup in Ankara, Turkey, late Friday, July 15, 2016. Depo Photos Zuma Press/Press Association. All rights reserved. Since the US presidential elections, the politicization of Facebook and Twitter, or the use of filter bubbles, echochambers and fake news has become a focus for criticism in Germany.[TG1] In Turkey, however, social media is still regarded as a source of uncensored news. Though Engin Önder may stress that he is not a journalist, his goals are journalistic: he wants the Turkish public to have unrestricted access to news, which is why he founded a network that broadcasts independent news via Twitter.
We first reported on 140journos in June last year. But a lot has changed in Turkey since the night of July 15, and the attempted coup. In the days and weeks that followed, a state of exception was announced, and many members of the opposition party and journalists have been arrested. Following these events, we spoke to Engin again, on Skype, to ask him: what was his experience of these crises? Was it possible for him to continue his project, 140journos, unrestricted?
TG,VI: Your approach is one of neutral and fact-oriented reporting. But the political polarisation in Turkey is even more extreme than when we spoke last in July. How have you handled it?
