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Prepared based on the discussions held during the Kurdish Digital Media Workshop, the Kurdish Digital Journalism eBook is now online.

Botan International, the only Kurdish institution offering education and training in Kurdish journalism in Turkey, organized the Kurdish Digital Media Workshop between November 15 and 21, 2020.

During the one-week workshop, a number of journalists and academics, including bia Kurdî editor Ferid Demirel taught classes.

Sertaç Kayar, Murat Bayram, Gülistan K. Rençber, Ibrahim Seydo Aydogan, Mesud Muhemmed, Safiye Alagaş, Şiraz Baran, Hatice Kamer, Ali Duran Topuz, Muri Darida, Rêdûr Dîjle, Mahmut Bozarslan, Ömer Faruk Baran and Dr. Isabel Kaser also gave classes as part of the workshop.

Our “Kurdish Digital Media Ebook” is out now!

The ebook is free and accessible to everyone at https://t.co/wuGHve8wzthttps://t.co/mJw7j19zw1 pic.twitter.com/xd1jFKPdN1

— Botan International (@BotanInt) February 14, 2021

'Kurdish journalism education forbidden in Turkey'

The book has been edited by Murat Bayram. Speaking to bianet about the workshop and the ebook, Bayram has briefly said:

"In the beginning, we considered how Kurdish journalists could reach the international standards of journalism and access education.

"According to the laws of the state of Turkey, media education in Kurdish is forbidden, but organizing a workshop and teaching classes are not. We decided to hold a workshop within this framework.

'RSF supported the workshop'

"When we decided to hold the workshop, we discussed who could teach the Kurdish journalists. In the light of this question, we identified that there were Kurds working in international media outlets such as the BBC, New York Times, Voice of America (VoA), AFP, Reuters, Deutsche Welle (DW), Middle East Eye (MEE), SBS and WDR as well as Kurdish editors in media outlets such as bianet and Mezopotamya Agency (MA).

"We thought that we should invite all of these journalists to Botan International and ask them to share their own experiences and techniques. To be frank, no one turned down our invitation and all 14 people that we had invited came and taught classes at the workshop.

"As the classes were sponsored by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), there was a quota of 15 people. If there had been more than 15 or 20 participants, students and teachers would not have had the opportunity of discussion."

'This ebook is a guide'

"We did not want that only 15-20 people benefit from these classes," Bayram has told bianet further and briefly added:

"What we wanted to do was to create a source on digital Kurdish journalism in the form of a guide that could be accessed by everyone. Within this framework, we decided to publish all lecture notes free online."

'Only bianet, Botan offer Kurdish education'

Underlining that Kurdish journalism was taught at workshops only for six times in the history of Turkey, Bayram has said, "Three of these trainings were offered by bianet and three of them by Botan International." (AY/SD)