FIGEN GUNES

Figen Gunes is a British journalist based in Diyarbakır, south east Turkey. 

She focuses on Kurdish issue and regional problems.

Former Yeditepe University student journalist with an award from Dogan Medya (Aydın Doğan Vakfı Genç İletişimciler Yarışması) for an investigation on mafia and their lifestyles in Taksim, Istanbul.

Worked for Hurriyet for more than five years, covering the London Olympics for the newspaper. Interviewed worldwide known athletes as well as Turkey’s Prime Minister and Sports Minister during this international sporting event.

Then became the first bursary winner from the Journalism Diversity Fund (JDF) given to a journalist from Turkey. The JDF aims to diversify Oxbridge graduates led British newsrooms - mainly staffed with upper middle class reporters- by supporting successful young journalists from alternative backgrounds.

I then studied for my NCTJ diploma at the Press Association, getting the all important high grades in Government, Essential Media law and Essential Court Reporting.

While completing my NCTJ, I worked for the Guardian as part of my career award. I was then accepted onto the first team of staff to develop the Big Answers – the sister magazine of the Big Issue focused on social economy and social enterprises across the UK.

After a 14-month writing purely about dedicated, community-focused inspiring social entrepreneurs, I decided to leave my job at the Big Issue to travel. I will also be working on a MSc dissertation focused on Northern Syria-Rojava’s three cantons model and democracy theories.

Social Profile:

Linkedin - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/figen-gunes-38a42792.

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