Barış Altıntaş spoke in the panel titled “Exile: The New Normal” at the ZEG Storytelling Festival in Tbilisi on June 23, 2024.
The panel was moderated by Nabeelah Shabbir, joined by journalists Polina Ivanova, Abduweli Ayup, and JAM’s Barış Altıntaş, who is also a co-founder of the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA).
Panelists talked about the challenges and the future of journalists reporting in exile while authoritarianism gains momentum across the globe and the impact of digital media on exiled journalism.
Altıntaş, citing JAM’s documentary titled “Our Wonderful Past” talked about the impact of exiled journalists in their home country.
Altıntaş talked about the example of Metin Cihan’s reporting on Israeli-Turkey trade through open-source research which is considered one of the major factors for Erdoğan’s loss in the 2024 Local Elections in Turkey due to Erdoğan’s anti-Israeli sentiments.
Panelists emphasized the importance of new mediums of communication enabling journalists to reach out to their home audience while reporting on the field remains a major obstacle for exiled journalists.
About ZEG
JAM attended ZEG Storytelling Festival in Tbilisi taking place between June 21 – 23, 2024. JAM’s new documentary premiered on June 21, 2024 during the festival.
The ZEG Tbilisi Storytelling Festival, organized by Coda Story and Impact Hub Tbilisi, takes its name from the Georgian word meaning “the day after tomorrow.” The festival aims to tell stories that “will remain important even the day after tomorrow.”
The event, held from June 21-23, 2024, in Tbilisi, Georgia, gathers nearly five hundred journalists, activists, and entrepreneurs. In addition to film screenings and discussions, the festival includes masterclasses, talk sessions, innovative workshops, networking events, and performances.
