Doğan News Agency takes press freedom award

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

Turkey’s Journalists Association presented its Press Freedom Awards on July 24, including awards given to Doğan News Agency and columnist Kadri Gürsel.

The annual award was given to Doğan News Agency in the “institution” category for its coverage of the Gezi Park protests, which were initially neglected by mainstream media outlets, causing are strong public reaction.

Daily Milliyet columnist Kadri Gürsel was also awarded individually for his work on press freedom over the past year. Journalist and radio host Füsun Erdoğan, who has been in jail for the past seven months, also received an award.

Program director of news agency İMC, Gökhan Biçici, was also handed a press freedom award.

July 24, the Journalists’ Day in Turkey, marks the 105th anniversary of the lifting of censorship of the Turkish press, after the 1908 Young Turk revolution against Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II.