AMED – Journalist Tuğçe Tatari has said the media has a crucial role in building public support for peace, arguing that “the language of the media must first be transformed into the language of peace”.

 

While the Kurdish side has taken a number of steps since 27 February 2025 as part of the Peace and Democratic Society Process, no progress has yet been made on the legal reforms expected from the state and the government. 

 

Public debate surrounding the Kurdish issue has also brought renewed attention to the role of the media, where little change in tone has been observed. Pro-government and nationalist outlets continue to rely on the terminology and narratives of conflict rather than adopting a more inclusive language.

 

Speaking during a “Peace Journalism” workshop held as part of the Societal Peace and Freedom Forum in Amed (Diyarbakır, Turkey), Tuğçe Tatari said much of the Turkish media had failed to move beyond the language of war.

 

‘THE LANGUAGE OF WAR HAS NOT BEEN REPLACED’

 

Tuğçe Tatari described the issue as a matter of mentality. She said pro-government media had become somewhat quieter during the current process, but argued that nationalist outlets continued to reproduce hostile rhetoric through headlines and commentary.

 

Tuğçe Tatari said: “At a time when peace should be discussed, and when the sides should be brought together, we still see the language of enmity. The journalist’s main mission should be to bring people together and allow the victims on both sides to come into contact with one another.”

 

She added that journalism in such periods should naturally evolve into peace journalism: “Unfortunately, the opposite is happening and the language of war continues.”

 

‘THE MEDIA MUST CHANGE FIRST’

 

Tuğçe Tatari said the persistence of divisive language was also shaped by experiences from earlier failed peace efforts. “There are people who genuinely want to practise peace journalism but are afraid because of what happened after previous processes collapsed,” she said.

 

She stressed that the media had a major influence on whether peace became accepted socially. “That is why the media’s language must first be transformed into the language of peace,” she said.

 

‘THERE IS A DEEP DIVISION AMONG JOURNALISTS’

 

Tuğçe Tatari pointed to growing divisions within the media itself. She said Kurdish and Turkish journalists no longer worked together in the way they once did.

 

“In the past it was common to see them side by side in the field. Now that is no longer the case,” she said, adding that mistrust following the collapse of earlier peace talks had widened the divide between Kurdish and Turkish media.

 

She stressed that Turkish media itself had fragmented into separate camps, including pro-government, opposition and CHP-aligned outlets: “Nobody stands side by side any more. Society has become deeply polarised and increasingly hostile.”

 

‘THE DEFINITIONS OF WAR MUST BE DISMANTLED’

 

“Peace journalism means bringing together the mother of a soldier and the mother of a guerrilla fighter,” Tuğçe Tatari said.

 

She stated that this required focusing on human stories, lived experiences and the reasons that had led society to its current point and added: “The language of war and the definitions shaped by state propaganda must now be dismantled.”

 

According to her, the media should help people from different backgrounds understand one another by presenting clear and direct human stories. 

 

‘PEACE JOURNALISM IS VITAL’

 

Tuğçe Tatari said peace journalism was not simply about careful wording, but about creating understanding between different realities.

 

Tuğçe Tatari said: “I write about the Kurdish issue from a perspective that prioritises Kurdish gains. That is my choice. Someone else may approach the issue from a Turkish perspective. What matters is creating contact with another reality.”

 

She argued that many people in Turkey remained unaware of key historical events. Recalling a recent conversation with a well-educated adult who had only just learned about the Dersim massacres through a documentary, Tuğçe Tatari said such work represented an example of peace journalism in practice.

 

‘THE CHAIN OF FEAR MUST BE BROKEN’

 

Tuğçe Tatari said there had been some changes in public attitudes towards the Kurdish issue compared with the past, but that deep sensitivities remained.

 

She pointed to the reaction sparked when veteran Kurdish politician Ahmet Türk used the word “Kurdistan” in a speech, arguing this showed that meaningful transformation had not yet taken place.

 

She continued: “Because the process is moving slowly, journalists have not fully entered the field and immersed themselves in human stories. People are afraid because they do not fully trust the process.”

 

Tuğçe Tatari acknowledged experiencing fear herself but argued that fear should not prevent journalists from continuing their work. She said: “We must go into the field and carry people’s stories to one another. If risks need to be taken, then they should be taken. The chain of fear must be broken.”

 

‘JOURNALISTS WANT TO MEET ABDULLAH ÖCALAN’

 

Tuğçe Tatari also said it would be important for journalists to interview Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan at a time when a solution to the Kurdish issue was once again being discussed.

 

“Hearing directly about his experiences after so many years would clearly be significant,” she said, adding that she believed such interviews were possible in the near future.

 

MA / Berivan Altan - Müjdat Can