Ayşe Durukan - "There are those who choose to become journalists thinking they will meet celebrities, get free entry to matches, and not pay at concerts and bars."

   *This interview, conducted by Eylül Aşkın, was first published in Turkish on 18.09.2022 on the online art platform sosyeteart.com. https://sosyeteart.com/index.php/2022/09/18/ayse-durukan-unlu-taniyacagim-maclara-bedava-girecegim-konserlerde-barlarda-para-odemeyecegim-diye-gazeteci-olmayi-secenler-var/

Today, we are with the esteemed Ayşe Durukan, a prominent journalist from the 80s-90s era, who has served as a reporter for Hürriyet, Milliyet, TV 7 Gün, Telemagazin, Aktüel, Show/Telemagazin, and Meydan newspapers. Additionally, she has taken on roles such as coordinator-participant and guest coordination, studio chief, and various responsibilities in competition and music-entertainment programs on Show TV.

You are originally a graduate of the Department of Radio and Television at Marmara University's Faculty of Communication. Did you decide to become a journalist later?

First of all, I never imagined years ago when I witnessed the birth at the Italian Hospital, where I was named after my insistence by Nilgün Akçaoğlu and Taner Aşkın, the parents of Eylül, whom I witnessed being born, that I would face such an interview with her. Thank you. Both your mother and father were witnesses and close friends of the era when I was fast in journalism.

As for how I decided to become a journalist... I am from Zonguldak. The years I grew up were times when Zonguldak was very popular in terms of journalism. Coal, worker accidents, and trade unionism were the mainstream news topics at that time. Zonguldak is the 67th province then. The number of provinces has not increased, and it carries the weight of 66 provinces on its back. When the family is involved in politics, I said, 'I will either be a lawyer or a journalist.' My desire not to become a lawyer was for the injustices suffered by coal miners. When I saw one of my articles published in the local union newspaper during my middle school years, my interest shifted towards journalism. When I graduated from high school, I won mining engineering, and English language and literature departments, but I didn't go. I promised to win journalism. During that process, I worked in local newspapers in Zonguldak. Being successful brought me the position of Zonguldak correspondent for Milliyet newspaper. When I won the university on my third attempt, I said, 'Goodbye Zonguldak, hello Istanbul.' I went to Taner Atilla, who was my editor at Milliyet, and said, 'I'm here to study. I also need a job. Give me a job.' I worked part-time at Yurt Haberler first. I was shuttling between school and work. Then Fehmi Ketenci sent me to the supplementary publications, and I started working at Telemagazin. I didn't have entertainment journalism in mind; my goal was political reporting. Mr. Taner said, 'They won't feed you there. It's true.' I didn't speak a foreign language, and my background wasn't strong. That's how I made progress in the entertainment journalism field.

How did your rise in your profession from local newspapers in Zonguldak to working as a correspondent for Hürriyet and Milliyet happen?

Of course, I received support. When Milliyet Telemagazin magazine closed, the late Sabri Tulga, my senior in the profession, recommended me to Hürriyet and TV'de 7 Gün magazine. Erol Aktı was in charge at that time. But the departure of the late Çetin Emeç from Milliyet to Hürriyet redirected my destiny. Mine Engez took over as the editor of TV'de 7 Gün magazine and saw a gem under her command waiting to be processed, eager to learn, coming from local news, and educated. She reached out to me. At that time, I didn't know anyone in the world of entertainment journalism. But, for example, I knew Süleyman Demirel. Prominent MPs of the time such as Gültekin Kızılışık, Köksal Toptan, and Ömer Barutçu were family friends. Anyway, Mrs. Mine was making appointments with celebrities like Türkan Şoray and Kadir İnanır, and I was going to the archive to gather information and then conducting interviews. Later, festivals in Adana, Antalya, music festivals in Çeşme, Kuşadası, film and series sets were important places for the rapid rise of an eager journalist. I had one more advantage. I had Çiçek. I was the only journalist who could take photos at the meeting place of famous and important figures of the time. I would appear prepared, not ask stupid questions, not overwhelm them with my knowledge, and not tire them with my ignorance. I would ask, stay silent, and listen. I think this made me an indispensable figure in their eyes. I received offers for exclusive interviews. I didn't interview everyone. I guess I became a bit arrogant at that time. It was natural. A miner's daughter had succeeded in Istanbul after coming out of a mining town. Halil Ergün once said, 'Is this an easy, insignificant job, Ayşe?' drawing a parallel with himself. Like me, he had come from the provinces and progressed slowly and surely on the steps of success.

When you compare Turkey in the 80s and 90s to contemporary Turkey, what social and professional changes do you observe?

Turkey is a dynamic country with its young population. The youth were discussing and talking. It was very clear that those who held power wouldn't easily give it to the young. And they didn't. Left-right conflicts started. When the memorandum was issued on March 12, 1972, I was a student in middle school; by the time of the September 12, 1980, coup, I was a journalist. The country was boiling. Politics had descended to middle school; primary school students had almost started talking about politics. This ended with the 1980 coup. I was a journalist during this period when freedoms were pruned. I witnessed the torture of people I loved and knew. I, as a journalist, was subjected to censorship. It was a tough period but equally creative. We were finding new ways of storytelling so that our news wouldn't be censored, or when it was censored, ways to mock it. The real social and professional change occurred in the generation after us. We grew up in the midst of events. The coming generation was oblivious to everything. Families were afraid of their children getting involved in politics, even joining ordinary associations. They were like sheep. Television came to the rescue, and as we transitioned from black and white to color TV, our social life accepted what TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation) offered. It wasn't bad. TRT aired classics of Russian literature in series and presented important novels of Turkish literature on the screen. Because there was still a managerial class of the young generation damaged but resilient from March 12 and September 12, believing in freedom, democracy, and modernity. The 90s were the last hopes for those who survived the 80s. The years of false freedom, democracy, prosperity; the internet age either idealized that generation or pushed them to adapt to the system. We were their remnants. We were less educated, knew less foreign languages. The world of computers, consisting of 0s and 1s, was far ahead of our "2 plus 2 equals 4" rhetoric. We had a strong memory, our archive, but the new world didn't need them; Google was there. First, the encyclopedic corners of newspapers closed. Etiquette rules were no longer written. We could find recipes on the internet, even pages of fortune corners and dream interpretations. Formerly, when we bought books for the information we wanted from bookstores or libraries, nowadays, an undesired amount of information is under our fingertips with a touch. Under the intense bombardment of information, concepts like right-wrong, beautiful-ugly, good-bad degenerated. Modern journalism was built on this. Terms like copy-paste journalism, desk reporting, and bulletin journalism entered our lives, laying the foundations for ethical and professional collapse. When investment is made in technology rather than in people, social, political, and cultural impoverishment takes over. That's the situation today.

How did your transition to the television industry happen?

When my manager at Hürriyet moved to Show TV, he invited me to join. At Show TV, I initially invited famous guests for game shows. Later, we started to focus on music and entertainment. Directors Erşan Başbuğ and Kahraman Afyonoğlu, who came from TRT, were part of my journey in television.

In your opinion, what qualities are necessary to be a successful reporter?

First and foremost, one needs to love the profession. Some choose this job thinking they will meet celebrities, get free access to matches, concerts, and not pay in bars. Yes, these are the perks of the job, but to enjoy them, you need to know about sports, understand music, have a good ear, know how to drink, and be as knowledgeable about food as a gourmet. I respect those who know, but there are people wandering around without knowing about cinema, theater, jazz, or rock history. It's not that easy, but unfortunately, it has become easier. Ignorance has become easier because being ignorant used to be difficult, and people were of higher quality. Even if you didn't read, if you were listening, you were learning and getting rid of ignorance. I got rid of most of my ignorance by listening. Then, I learned in-depth. In the end, you can't know everything, but if you listen and research, you learn. Also, being trustworthy is crucial. That's enough.

What publications do you currently follow? Are there columnists whose writings you make an effort to follow?

I get the weekly 'Oksijen' newspaper. I read it for a week. Occasionally, I check 'Birgün' newspaper, bianet, and the diken website. I don't trust other publications; I find them pornographic. My more trusted news sources are YouTube channels such as Medyascope, Nevşin Mengü, Murat Yetkin, Artı TV, and Özlem Gürses.

I'm quite curious about what male writers over 70 are writing. Not because I take them seriously but to observe their professional deformations. I won't name names, but Ayşe Çavdar is among those I seriously follow. I love her writings. Burak Bilgehan Özpek, Kemal Can, İsmail Saymaz, Levent Gültekin, İhsan Eliaçık are investigative journalists. There are many bright names. There are journalists who give us hope. And there are those who set the agenda. I don't always, but I read them occasionally.

Currently, you are living in Bodrum...

Yes, I moved to Bodrum when I stepped away from my profession. I operated a souvenir shop for a while. Now I'm not doing that. With the support of my street animal friends and the help of Bodrum Torba Shelter, I contribute to their treatments and neutering. I feed them. Lately, especially with the recent price increases, it has become quite challenging. For everyone like me who takes care of animals, we demand the removal of taxes on cat and dog food. Urgently. Many volunteer caregivers are considering giving up on feeding animals.

Do you still have friends from the celebrity community whom you are in contact with?

I can meet very few of them since I'm not in Istanbul. When they come to Bodrum or when we run into each other, it makes me happy to see that our old friendship continues. It convinces me that I've done good things. We lost both of them, but Memduh Ün and Fatma Girik used to live in Bodrum. During Memduh's illness, we waited together with Fatma Girik at the hospital. Müjde Ar comes in summers but not often. If we run into each other, I don't feel like strangers, so to speak. There are a few people whom I contact specifically.

Are you currently writing anywhere? Or do you have any new areas of interest or future goals?

I have a longstanding friendship with journalist Oya Demirtok, who is now the owner of the Women's Magazine by the renowned Duygu Asena. Occasionally, I write for her and do some research. Not at the moment, though.

You can follow Ayşe Durukan on Instagram: @aysefridakdurukan