Gazete Duvar | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | Duvar |
|---|---|
| Formation | 8 August 2016 |
| Dissolved | 12 March 2025 |
| Headquarters | Istanbul |
Editor-in-chief | Ali Duran Topuz |
| Website | gazeteduvar |
Duvar was an online news portal which focuses mainly on Turkish politics. [1] Duvar's headquarters are located in Sariyer Istanbul. [2]
It was founded in 2016 by Vedat Zencir, the first conciencious 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] The beginning was difficult, as the financial situation was dire with only 20% of expenses covered through advertising [8] and since press freedom in Turkey is not as free as in other parts in the world, Çamlıbel was worried whether the outlet would be able to keep on reporting. [6] According to the Center for American Progress, Duvar was more popular than Bianet as of 2020. [9]
In 2024 Turkish independent media outlets who are critical against the government are affected by a new Google algorithm which are seen as a covert censorship. [10]
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. [11] [12] 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. [13]