Emin Çölaşan Biography
Emin Çölaşan (born 14 March 1942) is a Turkish investigative journalist, whose daily column appeared in the m*-circulation newspaper, Istanbul-based Hürriyet, for 22 years, from 1985 to 2007. Since 2007, he continues his column in Sözcü.
Family background
A native of Ankara, Emin Çölaşan was born into a Cretan Turkish family whose surname, which literally means "desert strider", is a reference to his grandfather who was exiled by Sultan Abdülhamid II deep into the Fizan desert interior of Libya for 7 years because of taking part in the Young Turk movement. His maternal grandfather, Refik Şevket İnce, born in Polichnitos near Mytilene (modern-day Greek island of Lesbos), served under the country's leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and, subsequently, in ministerial posts during the 1920s and into the 1950s, and his father served in the State Meteorological Service where he was a general director for 14 years, one of the longest. His wife Tansel (born 1943), who held the position of chief advocate for the Turkish Council of State (Danıştay), was the president of Atatürk Thought *ociation. He has no children.
Education and career
Çölaşan finished his secondary studies in TED Ankara College and graduated from the Middle East Technical University with a degree in management studies. For a decade, he worked in various public ins*utions and started his journalism career in 1977 at the Istanbul daily Milliyet, shifting in 1985 as a regular columnist for Hürriyet, an influential position which he has maintained for nearly a quarter of a century. He is also the author of numerous books which focus primarily on malpractices within governmental and public circles in Turkey, as well as an instigator and/or party in frequent polemics centering on his discoveries of official malfeasance and misconduct.
Controversies
Çölaşan had been a critic of Turgut Özal, Turkey's Prime Minister from 1983 to 1989, who became the target of his 1980s bestseller books Turgut'un Serüveni and Turgut Nereden Koşuyor? . Çölaşan also criticized the in*bent AKP government, which is known to be the reason behind his 13 August 2007 firing from Hürriyet after 22 years of service. A strong and p*ionate nationalist, Çölaşan has criticized the government's plans regarding the Kurdish problem. Emin Çölaşan is a secularist, has accused the AKP government for Islamism.
Works
- 24 Ocak Bir Dönemin Perde Arkası, 1983 - Series
- 12 Eylül Özal Ekonomisinin Perde Arkası, 1984 - Series
- Yalçın'ı Kim Kurtaracak?, 1985
- Yalçın Nereye Koşuyor, 1985
- Banker Skandalı'nın Perde Arkası, 1985
- İcraatın İçinden, 1986 - Interview
- Önce İnsanım Sonra Gazeteci, 1987
- Biz Kırk Kişiyiz Birbirimizi Biliriz, 1987 - Interview
- Turgut Nereden Koşuyor?, Tekin Yayınevi, İstanbul, 1989
- Bir Dönemin Yazıları 1988-1989, Tekin Yayınevi, 1990, ISBN:975-478-054-4
- Turgut'un Serüveni, Tekin Yayınevi, İstanbul, 1993, ISBN:975-478-077-3
- Sor Bakalım!, Tekin Yayınevi, İstanbul, 1993, ISBN:975-478-000-5 - Interview
- Muhteşem İkili, Ümit Yayıncılık, Ankara, 1998, ISBN:975-7115-46-0
- Ah Refah Vah Refah, Ümit Yayıncılık, Ankara, 1998, ISBN:975-7115-42-8
- Tarihe Düşülen Notlar, Ümit Yayıncılık, Ankara, 2000, ISBN:975-7115-92-4
- Unutulmayan Söyleşiler Tarihe Düşülen Notlar, 2006
- Şu Benim Gazetecilik "Yaşadıklarım", Doğan Kitap, 2005, ISBN:975-293-284-3
- Kovulduk Ey Halkım Unutma Bizi, Bilgi Yayınevi, 2007 ISBN:978-975-22-0237-5
- Her Kuşun Eti Yenmez, Bilgi Yayınevi 2008 ISBN:975-22-0270-5
- Sakıncalı Gazeteci, Bilgi Yayınevi 2009 ISBN:978-975-22-0299-3
References
Notes
External links
- Archive of articles by Emin Çölaşan
