DW opens news bureau in Istanbul
January 19, 2018
Julia Hahn will take up the role as Turkey correspondent thus reinforcing DW's coverage of Southeastern Europe. The 32-year-old journalist studied international politics in Erfurt, Istanbul and Zurich and completed her journalism training at DW. Hahn, who speaks fluent Turkish, moderated TV news broadcasts from DW’s Berlin studio and is officially accredited by the Turkish authorities to report from Istanbul. She began her duties at the start of the year.
Director General Peter Limbourg says that there are good reasons for strengthening DW‘s presence in Turkey: “The difficult German-Turkish relations demand that media in both countries play a more active role. Limiting the freedom of the press in Turkey obliges international broadcasters to ensure objective reporting on events in Turkey.”
DW Editor-in-chief Ines Pohl: “Unfortunately there is no end in end in sight for the ‘state of emergency‘ in Turkey. And we cannot rule out that the current human rights situation will deteriorate further. Therefore it is important that we work to fill the existing information gap created by the ongoing restriction of independent journalism.”
Working at the new offices near Taksim Square is “a dream come true,“ says correspondent Julia Hahn. “Istanbul has become my second home, I have built a strong network here.“