Serhat News is an outlet founded by the non-profit organisation Dijital Medya Derneği (in English: Van Digital Media Association), covering the country's eastern region in Turkish, Kurdish, and English.

The media outlet is based in Van, a crucial passage point for refugees, primarily from Afghanistan and Iran. It covers migration, refugees and political issues related to the Kurdish minority.

The team is made up primarily of female directors and reporters, and publishes approximately 10 original reporting pieces daily.

The founders are adamant about diversifying revenue sources: they have in-house employees for local advertising and staff dedicated to grant project management. They also produce video content for international news outlets.

The website regularly comes under cyber-attacks; its journalists report being subject to physical violence on the ground, and the newsroom often faces lawsuits and police investigations. However, the founders are firmly determined to continue "to show everyone that journalism can be done despite the politics of intimidation".

Source: Oasis Europe

Last updated date: November 2025

Location:
Van, Turkey
Year the organization started publishing:
2021
Languages:
English
Turkish
Other
Type of coverage:
Local
Area of coverage:
Van, Ardahan, Kars, Erzurum, Bingöl, Hakkari, Bitlis

Content

Type of content produced by theme:
Sports
Economy and business
Lifestyle
Law and crime
Economy and finance
Journalism industry
Religious minorities
Refugees
War crimes and transitional justice
Journalism genres:
Chronicles and non-fiction
Interviews and reporting
Opinion
Investigative journalism
Journalism coverage types and techniques:
Breaking news
Engaged, community-driven or participatory journalism
Cross-border journalism
Collaborative journalism
Tech platforms and other mediums used:
Website
Social media platforms
YouTube
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Tiktok
Primary tech platform or medium used to publish content:
Website

Audience and reach

Social media audience

Facebook number of followers:
1,200
Twitter number of followers:
4,490
Instagram number of followers:
1,876
YouTube number of followers:
1,076
Tiktok number of followers:
1,541

Management and team

Founders

Female:
0
Male:
3
Founders:
Arif Aslan, Lokman Gezgin, Sıddık Güler
Directors:
Arif Aslan, Lokman Gezgin, Sıddık Güler, Rojbin Bor, Beritan Elyakut, Dildar Güler, Neslihan Arzum

Team

Full-time employees:
10
Part-time employees:
0
Freelancers or consultants:
1
Volunteers:
0

Business structure and revenue sources

Organization tax status:
Non-profit
All revenue sources reported by media leaders:
Grants
Advertising
Consultancy services
Content services for others
Grants from private donor organisations
Grants or investment from philanthropic organisations
Grants from foreign governments
Local advertising sold by own team
YouTube channel income
Training services for journalists
Content development for other media
The primary source of revenue reported by media leaders:
Grants
The second most important revenue source reported:
Local advertising sold by own team

Transparency

Doesn’t publish information about annual revenue
Doesn’t publish the names of donors
Doesn’t have an ethics policy / manual
Doesn’t have a data privacy policy
Doesn’t have a whistleblower policy
Doesn’t have a complaints policy
Doesn’t have a sexual harassment or institutional violence policy
Is not signed up to a press regulator, trust initiative, or part of a press association
Does not publish up to date information about its team

Why is this profile included?

This media outlet is part of our directory because it meets SembraMedia’s inclusion criteria: it produces original content, serves the public interest, and works with independence and transparency. This profile was developed using information provided directly by the media outlet, through surveys or interviews. We aim to keep the information current, but SembraMedia does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness, and recommends verifying any key details with the media organization.

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