Gazete Duvar
Turkish online news outlet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Duvar was an online news portal which focuses mainly on Turkish politics.[1] Duvar's headquarters are located in Sariyer Istanbul.[2]
Gazete Duvar | |
| |
| Abbreviation | Duvar |
|---|---|
| Formation | 8 August 2016 |
| Dissolved | 12 March 2025 |
| Headquarters | Istanbul |
Editor-in-chief | Ali Duran Topuz |
| Website | gazeteduvar |
History
It was founded in 2016 by Vedat Zencir, the first conscientious objector in Turkey.[2] Its current editor-in-chief is Ali Duran Topuz[3] and it is described as reporting critically on the Turkish government.[2] Several Academics for Peace who were dismissed from their work figure among its authors.[1] Other journalists recruited were formerly employed by other Turkish media but dismissed due to their articles which criticized the Turkish government.[2] Gazete Duvar was ordered several times to remove articles from the internet.[4] In the past, Turkish judges have issued rulings which blocked access to certain articles it has published.[5]
In October 2019, Duvar launched a version in English, and its editor-in-chief is Cansu Çamlıbel,[6] a former Washington D.C. correspondent for the Hürriyet newspaper.[7] Its goal was to inform English speaking readers about events in Turkey from an independent point of view.[8] However, its early days were challenging due to financial struggles, with advertising covering only 20% of expenses. Additionally, given the limitations on press freedom in Turkey, Çamlıbel was uncertain whether the outlet could continue its reporting.[8][6] According to the Center for American Progress, Duvar was more popular than Bianet as of 2020.[9]
In 2024, Turkish independent media outlets critical of the government were impacted by a new Google algorithm, which was perceived as a form of covert censorship.[10][11]
On 12 March 2025 it was announced that Duvar will cease publications after it could not afford costs when Google placed Duvar on lower search results.[12][13] Duvar was not the only Turkish media who was hit by the changing algorithm of Google, other media as Halk TV lost up to 90% traffic and advertising revenue and starting legal action against Google.[14][15][16]