Upgrade! Istanbul: Accessing Information - Mithat Bereket & Atilkunst :: March 19, 2009; 6:30 - 8:30 pm :: Cibali Campus, Cinema Hall #2, Kadir Has University, Faculty of Communication, Istanbul.

The meeting concentrates on mobile journalism, alternative information channels, activist criticism on media, censorship and auto-censorship in Turkish media.

Mithat Bereket discusses mobile journalism by giving a special emphasis to the Middle East and the alternative information channels. The talk also covers activism and censorship in Turkey. In this context, Atilkunst talks about the series ‘gündem fazlasi’ (excess agenda) by presenting some samples from the series. ‘Gündem fazlasi’ (excess agenda) is a reading of the agenda with critical interventions. This act is a reminder of an agenda which could be also personal.

Atilkunst is an activist group. Atilkunst started the group activities in 2006. Atilkunst acts and thinks through irony. Instead of considering and processing a single concept in details, it creates an up-to-date reaction area. Atilkunst starts its action with words, then transforms these words to images. Those images are shown in public or private places in various formats, such as stickers, videos, photo-novels. Actions of the group could not be considered as street art in its strict sense, but streets are also a their area of action. By using the communication methods of mass media, Atilkunst makes strong remarks on political agendas and dominant daily expressions.

In addition to its artistic context, Atilkunst can be considered as an activist and culture jammer group. Under the attack of today’s image bombardment, Atilkunst works with the similar tools of mass media in purpose of constructing an alternative lateral culture.

Mithat Bereket graduated from Ankara University, Department of Political Science. He completed his post-graduate studies at Lancaster University, Department of International Relations in England. He is doing his PhD on “Radical Islam” at the same University.

Bereket was the chief news anchor for some significant affairs that NTV has covered. These affairs include Bill Clinton’s visit to Turkey, The OSCE summit in Istanbul, The European Union Helsinki Summit, Greek National Elections, Cyprus Elections, US elections and the World Trade Center attacks. He followed and covered many important international affairs including the Gulf War, the war in Bosnia, the war in Afghanistan, the conflicts in Algeria and Karabakh, the war in Chechnya, The Palestinian Intafada and the NATO operations in Kosovo. He is currently traveling around the globe as a war correspondent. He had exclusive interviews and some of the interviewees include, Nelson Mandela, Benazir Bhutto, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Yasser Arafat, B. Boutros-Ghali, Teslima Nesrin, Tadeuzs Mazawiecki, Massoud Barzani, Jalal Talabani, Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Benjamin Netanyahu, Frederick De Klerk, Antonio Di Pietro, Shamil Basayev, Ibrahim Rugova, Mikhail Kalashnikov, Jörg Haider and Bill Clinton. Bereket has been producing and hosting a news magazine “Pusula” since 1995. He produces an on-air show on a national radio station called Radio Time. He also produces and hosts a daily news program called “Manset,” which is broadcast on CNNTURK. He writes in the weekly Businessweek Magazine. Mithat Bereket, who has been giving lectures on International Diplomacy and Daily Politics at Universities and high-schools, is teaching “Media and Politics” at Kadir Has University.