Can Dündar Becomes Cumhuriyet Newspaper’s EIC

Acclaimed journalist Can Dündar has been appointed to Cumhuriyet newspaper’s new editor-in-chief. He was serving as columnist in the newspaper.

“This is the most proud day of my professional life,” he wrote on twitter yesterday. 

On January 30, Cumhuriyet Foundation Administration dismissed editor-in-chief Utku Çakırözer' from his post. Following that, senior editors Murat Sabuncu and Ayşe Yıldırım Başlangıç resigned as well.

The reformation in the newspaper indeed began in August  2014 with the employment of influential journalists Ceyda Karan, Özgür Mumcu, Aydın Engin and Ahmet Şık.

Former EIC Çakırözen has started his post on September 11 after the dismissal of his counterpart İbrahim Yıldız. The new employments stirred controversy in Turkey.  

While a series of layoffs were executed including feature story writer Mustafa Kemal Erdemol and Ergenekon case reporter Hatice Tuncer and photojournalist Serkan Yıldız. Kadir Aydemir also submitted his resignation.

Who is Can Dündar?

Can Dündar (Born June 16, 1961, Ankara, Turkey) is a Turkish journalist, columnist and documentarian. 

He studied journalism at Ankara University, Faculty of Political Science and graduated in 1982. He continued his education in London School of Journalism in 1986. Can Dündar received his master's degree in 1988 and in 1996 earned his Ph.D. in political science from Middle East Technical University, Ankara. 

He has contributed to various print publications, including Hürriyet (1983 - 1985), Nokta, Haftaya Bakış, Söz and Tempo. He wrote for Sabah from January 1999 to April 2000 and Milliyet from January 2000. 

On Augist 1, 2013, he left his post in Milliyet and started to write for Cumhuriyet on 25 October 2013. Dündar has several documentaries and books. (NV/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.