Gülen Movement's interest in the media

fgulen.org

What is the reason for the Gülen Movement's interest in the media?

Fethullah Gülen was the first preacher in Turkey to have his lectures made available on audio and video cassettes to the general public in Turkey.

He encourages the use of mass media to inform people about matters of individual and collective concern.

On the qualities of the new type of people who would strive to extend altruistic services to all humanity, Gülen says: ‘To stay in touch and communicate with people’s minds, hearts, and feelings, these new men and women will use the mass media and try to establish a new power balance of justice, love, respect, and equality among people.’

In terms of electronic communications and the Internet, the Movement was the first Turkish social actor to make itself available online and free to the masses. Since then, through its skills, the autonomy of its language, and the complexity of the strategies that characterize its work, the Gülen Movement has been able to influence the debate about the ways in which reality is constructed by the Turkish media. By filtering imposed messages, activating everyday communicative networks, exercising choice among the various media available, and professionally interacting with the media system, Movement participants have themselves become a new medium in the construction of public discourse.

The media outlets all report on educational and cultural activities as well as news and the perspectives of Movement participants. Thus they are one of the routes by which ideas and good practice diffuse throughout the Movement.

These media outlets have proved to be very effective during times when the values, services, and institutions of the Movement were misreported by others. They aim to be visible to the decision-making apparatuses which govern the major media networks and define the political agenda, so that the controversial issues and debates dividing society should not be muffled behind a facade of formal neutrality and self-referentiality.

In addition, they respect and encourage the public discourse which is created in everyday networks by citizens.

What specific media organs have the Gülen Movement participants established?

Movement participants have established a national and international television station – Samanyolu Televizyonu (STV), a major news agency – Cihan Haber Ajansi (CHA), an independent daily newspaper (Zaman) with a daily circulation of around a million copies nationally, an English-language newspaper (Today's Zaman) several leading magazines, and a prominent publishing house, The Light, Inc.

Zaman was established in 1986 and was ‘the first to publish a special US edition in North America. Zaman is the only newspaper to print local Turkic language editions all over the Turkic world. It was the first Turkish daily newspaper to make itself available online, which it did in 1995. Special international editions for other foreign countries are printed in local alphabets and languages. The paper is acknowledged for its serious, fair, and balanced reporting. It has won national and international awards for its modern page layout and its contributions to intercultural understanding through its foreign editions.