Aydoğan Vatandaş

Aydoğan Vatandaş
Vatandaş in 2026
Born1974 (age 51–52)
Istanbul, Turkey
CitizenshipTurkish
EducationDeniz Lisesi (1988)
Turkish Naval Academy (1993–1995)
Fatih University (BA English Literature, 2001)
Yeditepe University (MA Social Anthropology, 2003–2005)
The New School (MA Media Studies, 2009–2011)
Alvernia University (PhD Corporate Leadership, 2013–2017)
OccupationsInvestigative journalist, author, TV host, editor-in-chief
Years active1995–present
Employer(s)Aksiyon (1995–2000)
Zaman (2000–2004)
Today's Zaman (2006–2016)
HuffPost contributor
Politurco.com (founder/editor-in-chief)
Notable workArmagedon: Türkiye-İsrail Gizli Savaşı (1996)
Hungry for Power (2015)
Websitepoliturco.com[1]

Aydoğan Vatandaş (born 1974, in Istanbul, Turkey) is a Turkish investigative journalist, author, and media executive based in the United States. He founded Politurco.com and has authored 13 books on Turkish politics and international relations, including English works Reporting from the Bridge (2012) and Hungry for Power (2015).[2][3][4]

Early life and education

Born in Istanbul in 1974, Vatandaş graduated from prestigious Deniz Lisesi naval high school in 1988. He attended the Turkish Naval Academy from 1993 to 1995 before leaving to pursue journalism.[5][3]

His academic qualifications include:[3]

Career

Vatandaş began his journalistic career in 1995 as a reporter at Aksiyon magazine, a prominent investigative publication during Turkey's Susurluk scandal and Ergenekon trials era. He advanced to news editor and columnist by 2000. From 2000 to 2004, he worked at Zaman newspaper as reporter, news editor, columnist, and producer-host of the investigative TV program Kara Kutu on Samanyolu TV, focusing on political scandals and security issues. He worked at major Turkish outlets before relocating to New York in 2006 as U.S. correspondent for Today's Zaman until 2016.[3]

In New York, Vatandaş served as U.S. correspondent for Today's Zaman (English edition) and Cihan News Agency until 2016. He covered Turkish-American relations, U.S. politics' impact on Turkey, and events like the 2013 Gezi Park protests.[2]

Following Turkey's 2016 media crackdown, he founded Politurco.com[1] in the U.S., an independent English-Turkish news platform critical of the Turkish government.[6] In 2015, Vatandaş wrote for The Independent about arrests in the Turkish press, highlighting the first wave of pressure against opposition journalists to the international community.[7]

Turkish authorities have alleged that Vatandaş was affiliated with the Gülen movement, which the Turkish government designates as a terrorist organization following the 2016 coup attempt. In 2018, the Turkish government-controlled Anadolu Agency covertly filmed him in the United States and publicly targeted him.[8][9] Pro-government media outlets like Sabah and Yeni Şafak had already targeted him in 2016 as an exiled journalist linked to this persona, amid broader campaigns against critics abroad.[10]

Vatandaş denies all charges and continues publishing from the United States, where he holds legal residency.[11][12]

Works

Vatandaş has authored 13 books since 1996 on political investigations, including Turkey–Israel relations, ASALA counterterrorism operations, secret societies, and Turkish political purges. Several became bestsellers in Turkey.[13][14][15]

Books by Aydoğan Vatandaş
TitlePublisherYearLanguageSubject
Armagedon: Türkiye-İsrail Gizli SavaşıTİMAŞ1996TurkishTurkey-Israel covert conflict and U.S. Middle East policy
HAARP - Kıyamet TeknolojisiKarakutu2000TurkishHAARP technology investigations
Agharta / Elektromanyetik Savaş BaşladıKarakutu2001TurkishElectromagnetic warfare theories
Apokalipse / Kıyametin Gizli TarihiKarakutu2002TurkishApocalyptic and hidden history research
Ezoterika / Gizli CemiyetlerKarakutu2002TurkishSecret societies and esotericism
Kod Adı: Kılıçbalığı / 11 Eylül Senaryosu
(co-authored with Mustafa Aydın)		Karakutu2002Turkish9/11 scenario analysis
Kuru Kafa Ve Kemik Tarikatının Gizli TarihiQ Matrıs2003TurkishSkull and Bones society history
ASALA Operasyonları: Aslında Nasıl Oldu?Alfa2005TurkishASALA counterterrorism operations
Barnabas'ın SırrıTİMAŞ2007TurkishAramaic gospel discovery claims
Monşer: Saklı SeçilmişlerTİMAŞ2009TurkishTurkish elite families and state formation
ApokrifalTİMAŞ2012TurkishApocryphal texts research
Reporting from the BridgeBlue Dome Press2012EnglishTurkish-American relations and U.S. interviews
Hungry for Power: Erdoğan's Witch HuntBlue Dome Press2015English2013–2016 Turkish purges and authoritarianism

References

  1. 1 2 "About Us". Politurco. Politurco.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  2. 1 2 Vatandaş, Aydoğan. "Aydoğan Vatandaş". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Aydoğan Vatandaş". Biyografiler.com (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  4. ↑ Vatandaş, Aydoğan. "Aydogan Vatandas". Blue Dome Press. Blue Dome Press. Archived from the original on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  5. ↑ "Aydoğan Vatandaş". Biyografya.com (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  6. ↑ Aydoğan Vatandaş (1 June 2016). "Why Erdogan Wants to Take Over the Entire Turkish Media". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 19 April 2026. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  7. ↑ Aydoğan Vatandaş (31 August 2015). "Another blow for Turkey's free press as leading journalist arrested". The Independent. Archived from the original on 19 April 2026. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  8. ↑ "Aydoğan Vatandaş ABD'de görüntülendi". Anadolu Ajansı (in Turkish). 22 June 2018. Archived from the original on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  9. ↑ "Turkish state-run Anadolu News Agency harasses exiled journalist Vatandas". Stockholm Center for Freedom. Stockholm CF. Archived from the original on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "Govt media targets exiled journalists". Turkish Minute. 26 September 2016. Archived from the original on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  11. ↑ "Politurco.com". Politurco. Politurco.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  12. ↑ Aydoğan Vatandaş (25 June 2018). "Erdogan's Ambition for the Caliphate and the Failure of Turkish Democracy". Consortium News. Archived from the original on 19 April 2026. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  13. ↑ Vatandaş, Aydoğan. "Aydoğan Vatandaş' Books". Goodreads. Goodreads. Archived from the original on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  14. ↑ "Aydoğan Vatandaş". Open Library. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  15. ↑ Vatandaş, Aydoğan. "Aydoğan Vatandaş". Kitapyurdu (in Turkish). Kitapyurdu.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.


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