We Are Thankful

We have a party at bianet! But why?

bianet belongs to everybody; we wished it that way, we founded it that way. When we made first attempt in 1996 - 1997, we are only a handful of people. When we started Independent Communications Network (BIA) and bianet in 2000, The ideas of becoming the voice of the voiceless, being in “solidarity in the basis of production” and realizing that “another communication is possible” made us feel like we were forming a crowed, but we are only 7 people in the office. 

Today, we are around 16 people in the office including our interns, even having desk space issues from time to time.  

Erol Önderoğlu, Baran Gündoğdu, Ertuğrul Kürkçü, Erhan Üstündağ, Kemal Özmen, Leyla İşbilir, Nadire Mater, Emine Özcan, Tolga Korkut (2006)

My point is not to tell the 18 year long story of dreams coming to reality. 

Fikret İlkiz, Mustafa Sütlaş, Sevda Alankuş, Şeyhmus Diken... Tonight, we are going to get together with this “quad” and rest of our friends. 

BIA and bianet are huge collectives incorporating local media and journalists, writers artists journalists, OHO alumni, previous and current bianet staff, advisors, news sources, supporters and readers. Some we met in person, others not, some we heard before, others not, some from Turkey, others from all over the world. 

As we transition from our 14^th year to the 15^th, we would like to acknowledge and thank our “quad”, four people who have continuously contributed to BIA projects for 13 years. 

Baran Gündoğdu, Bawer Çakır, Emine Özcan, Semra Çelebi, Korcan Uğur, Ertuğrul Kürkçü, Leyla İşbilir, Erhan Üstündağ, Tolga Korkut. (2009)

You will read the stories of our friends from their perspectives. 

Of course, their is more to add to what they will say. 

Needless to mention that, Fikret İlkiz is a successful advocate, communications lawyer. On April 10, 2001, he wrote his column on the unemployed children of the press and started contributing to bianet every monday on a weekly basis. With his 604 articles so far, Fikret kept a chronicle on Turkey’s expression freedom/lessness for 13 years to our day. 

When BIA started as a project, he was one of main pillars in our Judicial Support Unit. When Erol Önderoğlu was running the unit, Fikret helped out journalists especially in Kürdistan Region, and it is still the way it is. 

Fikret thought “media - law relations” in our journalism gathering and provoked lots of discussions. It is not over. He was always the last person to review our Media Monitoring Reports. He also thought bianet how to report trials and judiciary processes, he thought bianet the terminology. He is advisor as in his title, so bianet keeps asking his advise on a variety of issues. 

Verena Şen, Burçin Belge, Erol Önderoğlu, Ertuğrul Kürkçü, Nadire Mater, Baran Gündoğdu, Şahin Artan, Ayça Söylemez, Ekin Karaca, (below) Haluk Kalafat, Nilüfer Zengin, Leyla İşbilir, Çiçek Tahaoğlu, Korcan Uğur (2011)

Mustafa Sütlaş started writing to bianet on January 6, 2001. And so fat, he has written 1049 news articles and columns, he has prepared 539 daily agenda bulletins. The title of his first column was “Mothers and Children With No Healthcare”, showing his real field of struggle as MD/writer/reporter. He also informed his readers on all demonstrations, panels, exhibitions, movies, travels and books that he got involved with. Sometimes he came to our office, sat with us, edited our articles and helped us report health issue without making a mistake. He opened his mind to bianet’s disposition. 

Sevda Alankuş, our teacher, has liv in several places Ankara, Famagusta, Izmir. But she was always with us. She became the designer, coordinator, “educator” and writer of our journalism education programs. She did not only prepare 9 books for edition and opened up new horizons for bianet on women and children focused journalism, she wrote essential books for all journalists and communication students can refer to. Whenever we asked for an article, she wrote article. Whenever we needed her opinion, she was ready for interview. Whenever we asked her for a conference, she came right away. We didn’t accept any excuses, we said “bianet” first, she gladly accepted. Not to mention all her contributions in building relationships with the academia in Turkey. 

Şeyhmus Diken wrote his first piece on January 14, 2002 with his article “If You Want Peace, It is on the Scene”. His first article was the precursor of what he would up in the years to come. He met with his readers every Saturday on biamag and wrote a total of 630 news articles and columns. He is still the voice of Kurdistan and Amed (Diyarbakır) in bianet and he will still do so. We didn’t only ask for columns, we also asked him to report for us, which he certainly did. He also made presentations for us. He came to meetings and attended our critic sessions. His eyes were always on bianet, so are ours. 

We had people come and go, we had people who kept their ties, we had people who continued “bianet” journalism in different media outlets without realizing it or not, we had people who felt like they were raised by bianet and contributed to us with their articles / news pieces / photos, we had people who worried about the sustainability of bianet, we had people who gave themselves the duty of improving bianet by assigning themselves new fields of contribution…bianet and its contributors continue creating a new bianet everyday. 

We should also note the contributions of all organizations from feminist, labor, profession chamber, NGO backgrounds. We acknowledge all individuals and groups with their information, feedback and op-eds.

And of course, Füsun Özbilgen, Şahika Yüksel and Tuğrul Eryılmaz, the three founders of IPS Communication Foundation, the roof organization BIA/bianet. If only we could write down the name of every contributor here. But at least we are remembering some of our friends with the photos in this article. 

There is no way I can not mention this name: Even though Ertuğrul (Kürkçü) is physically not present in our office anymore, even though we feel his absence all the time, he continues his struggle in the parliament and in every other aspect of life with “bianet” spirit. 

Back then, we said that BİA/bianet would be a long march for us, so it were, just like the way life is. 

Now, we are hailing all those who contributed to the creation of “bianet” through Fikret, Mustafa, Sevda and Şeyhmus.

We are thankful. (NM/BM)

* Main photo: Ayça Söylemez, Nilay Vardar, Ekin Karaca, Nadire Mater, Leyla İşbilir, Korcan Uğur, (middle) Beyza Kural, Baran Gündoğdu, Haluk Kalafat, Erol Önderoğlu, Barış Mumyakmaz, Evren Gönül, Irmak Kurtulmuş, (below) Yüce Yöney, Çiçek Tahaoğlu, Elif Akgül.