Covering Turkey: The Dilemmas of Foreign Correspondents between the Desk and the Field

In the last decade, Turkey’s appeal for international news organizations has risen dramatically. In 1991, there were 85 accredited foreign reporters based in Turkey, the number was recorded as 145 in 2000, 200 in 2005. At the end of 2013, there were 317 accredited members of the foreign media, working for 284 different media organizations. This study accounts for the noticeable increase in the number of foreign correspondents in Turkey. By analyzing data collected via 20 in-depth interviews and online questionnaires, it offers insight on the personal and professional characteristics and practices of foreign journalists covering Turkey. The findings suggest that correspondents “feel responsible” for
explaining the complexities in Turkey for their audiences, highlighting the dilemmas between the “desk” and the “field”. They also indicate that
Istanbul as an emerging global city does in its own right attracts new media connections.

keywords: foreign correspondent, Turkey, journalists, foreign,
news, international

In the last decade, Turkey’s appeal for international news organizations has risen dramatically. In 1991, there were 85 accredited foreign reporters based in Turkey, the number was recorded as 145 in 2000, 200 in 2005. At the end of 2013, there were 317 accredited members of the foreign media, working for 284 different media organizations. This study accounts for the noticeable increase in the number of foreign correspondents in Turkey. By analyzing data collected via 20 in-depth interviews and online questionnaires, it offers insight on the personal and professional characteristics and practices of foreign journalists covering Turkey. The findings suggest that correspondents “feel responsible” for explaining the complexities in Turkey for their audiences, highlighting the dilemmas between the “desk” and the “field”. They also indicate that Istanbul as an emerging global city does in its own right attracts new media connections.