Stories are bridges carrying knowledge, emotion, and truth; humanity’s oldest legacies. Journalist Çağla Üren aims to make complex topics understandable to everyone by blending science and technology with the nuances of journalism. In pursuit of preserving the power of expression and creating meaning in the fast-flowing stream of information of the digital age.

Aslı Şen: Welcome! Could you please introduce yourself?

Çağla Üren: My name is Çağla Üren. I graduated from Boğaziçi University’s Department of Literature in 2018. After about a year as a freelance book translator, I became an International News Editor at Independent Türkçe. I was satisfied with my role as an International News Editor, but once I entered the media industry, I felt the need to specialize. Working as an international news editor had always been on my mind and something I wanted to do. I became interested in it when the Syrian War began in 2011.

While at university, I took courses such as evolution and cosmology because of my interest in popular science. My colleagues were somewhat detached from science and tech news, but I found it engaging. This passion led me to pursue a career in that field, culminating in my current role as a science and technology journalist. The pandemic also influenced me significantly. Initially, there was chaos as no one had experienced anything like it before, and much information was circulating. You may recall the quarantine period filled with anxiety and fear. Everything felt surreal, like a movie. During that time, we aimed to make a difference by translating scientific articles. I was working at Independent Türkçe Newspaper. As vaccines emerged, social issues like anti-vaccination and skepticism became prominent, creating moderately hesitant groups due to rapid vaccine development. We identified a media gap in this area, which garnered positive feedback when we addressed it. We were invited to medical faculties for presentations based on our initial materials, with actual medical professionals as speakers. Recognizing this gap in mainstream media, I decided to focus on it, seeing both personal interest and a chance to engage with readers.

My health-related writing expanded into science and tech topics, marking a meaningful journey. Now, I work at Euronews Türkçe as an international news editor, specializing in science and technology. I also run a weekly science and tech newsletter for my readers. Though I’ve been a bit inconsistent recently, I plan to publish more regularly in the coming year. This journey has been incredibly rewarding, and I truly enjoy my work.

A.Ş: You cover a broad spectrum of topics, including literature, science, art, and health. You craft stories with a poetic and literary style. Conveying technology and science news in an accessible manner is quite challenging. In this regard, what sources do you rely on? Or does your academic background from the Faculty of Literature help you in this work?

Ç.Ü: Of course it did. Before we start, I want to reference a psychology study: Researchers in science and psychiatry studied what helps people find fulfillment and happiness. They concluded that “storytelling” is key. Those who incorporate storytelling into their daily routines tend to lead happier, more fulfilling lives.

Think of it this way: Humans are naturally gossipers. Harari suggests that our ability to gossip enabled Homo sapiens to organize and survive, unlike Neanderthals who went extinct. Fundamentally, storytelling is at the heart of this; we are social creatures who rely on communication. I see this as a major challenge of artificial intelligence our need for fulfillment depends on maintaining social interaction and storytelling. Regarding your question, thank you for the kind words. I often hear from others that I write simply and fluently, which means a lot to me. My main goal in life is to pursue fiction and create stories, which is why I value storytelling so much.

“Turkish readers are very curious and open-minded about science.”

Having graduated from a literature faculty is a big advantage. I am a straightforward person with clear goals. I loved reading as a child and always wanted to study literature. My interest in the field carried into high school, leading me to study Turkish Language and Literature at university. Boğaziçi University is truly a school that thinks about how it can enrich its students. I had 12-13 mandatory elective courses. You can take many courses such as psychology, sociology, science, and advertising. I used to take science and cinema courses. I was highly interested in both subjects. I felt the need to do internships while I neared graduation. I was worried about what I would do after graduation. On one hand, I was trying to enrich myself as much as I could from school, on the other hand, I was doing an internship wherever I could find a place. I interned in fields such as newspapers, magazines and literary publishing. I was considering becoming a literary publisher when I was about to graduate.

I was thinking of being a literature publisher while I was graduating. For a while, I worked as a freelance book translation editor. But then I gave it up, mainly for economic reasons. I would receive some translated books, but they were very poorly translated because the publishing houses didn’t want to pay for them. They would have inexperienced students translate popular science books and send them to me, and then I would re-translate them all. I decided I didn’t want to do that forever. So, I got into media.

I interned at Sol News Portal in 2014. At the time, my English wasn’t very good, so my international news internship wasn’t very successful. I was a little scared, wondering if I could do it. Then I realized I could, so I decided to continue. As I mentioned before, I started writing in this field because my friends were a bit detached from science and technology news, while I loved it. When I received very positive feedback from readers and began getting interview requests from outside during the pandemic, I found myself at an intermediate stage of it all.

A.Ş: You started an email newsletter called Hafıza Kartı (Memory Card) at the point when you discovered your interest in technology. Could you talk a little about that process?

Ç.Ü: I have been interested in this since childhood, but I was never very skilled at math. However, I was very passionate about physics and especially biology. When I started working, I noticed that astrophysics news stories were always among the most-read, often filled with false and misleading information. Unfortunately, media outlets believe that headlines like “Alien Sighted” attract more readers. I disagree that wellwritten, truthful news also gets read. Turkish readers are very curious and open-minded about science. While working for Independent Türkçe, we used to translate stories from The Independent, have them copyedited, and publish them. I felt that this approach wasn’t enough; I wanted to add my own touch. Around 2021-2022, when newsletters started gaining popularity, I subscribed to a few. They were just beginning to arrive in Türkiye, and I really liked their format. I prefer writing over editing, which I don’t think I’m particularly talented at. If I wanted to produce YouTube content, I’d have to dress up, decorate my house, shoot the video, and edit it-skills I don’t really have. I felt it’s a waste of time. Since I can efficiently compile and organize information through writing, I decided to create newsletters.

What kind of newsletter was I planning to create? At Independent Türkçe, we focus solely on international news and tend to avoid content that’s already widely available in Türkiye. We aim for original stories, which means I encounter many news items but struggle to evaluate most of them. To share these, I started a Telegram channel, which quickly gained popularity. Telegram isn’t highly populated, but 2000 subscribers is a solid number. Recognizing that not everyone uses social media platforms like Telegram, Twitter, or Instagram -though most have Gmail and check emails- I decided to create a weekly newsletter. I applied to NewsLab Türkiye for support and was accepted. In August 2022, I underwent media training covering sound editing, algorithms, social media, and newsletter skills. The training was comprehensive and hands-on, helping me learn new skills and gain practical experience.

This was a strong foundation for me. Right after the training, I published the first issue of Hafıza Kartı. I continued for two years without pause. In 2024, I left Independent Türkçe and spent about nine months at a startup focused on AI and social media. This experience helped me understand how the business operates and taught me a bit about the entrepreneurial ecosystem. However, I missed journalism, and a friend working at Euronews Türkçe recommended me to them. Euronews Türkçe has a strong readership and high click rates, making it a great platform for me to showcase my work. Until now, I’ve struggled to get my news read, but Euronews Türkçe offers that opportunity. I publish news articles and millions of people read them-a truly rewarding experience. Consequently, I left the startup. Although I’ve recently neglected the Hafıza Kartı project due to health issues, I’ve noticed it has cultivated a wonderful readership. I receive emails asking, “Where is the Hafıza Kartı? Why aren’t you sending it?” which gives me particular joy. Hafıza Kartı service has over 5,000 subscribers, and those who know it well say it’s very good. I hope this number continues to grow in the coming years.

“Spend more time focusing on your strengths and interests. Working in a fi eld where you lack talent just because it’s trendy can lead to burnout and hinder meaningful contributions.”

A.Ş: These email newsletters have become popular through platforms like Substack. Could we discuss the technical details further? Alternatively, if our goal is to send news via these newsletters, what strategy would you recommend?

Ç.Ü: Substack has been a pioneer in the rise of newsletters. Because it’s free, it has provided a space where anyone who wants to create a newsletter can do so, regardless of their financial situation. However, following the advice of my professor Ahmet Alihan Sabancı from NewsLab Türkiye, I use a platform called “Inbox.” It’s based in Türkiye and compliant with the Personal Data Protection Law. It’s a bit pricey. I pay over two thousand lira a month. That’s why Substack’s free version is very useful for beginners. However, it can be used for different purposes, such as scams and advertising, and there’s a high likelihood of sending unsolicited emails. Google implemented a new policy to address this issue, and as a result, emails sent through Substack are now being marked as spam. So, to play it safe, I switched to Inbox. We also received a grant from NewsLab Türkiye, which helped cover my newsletter expenses for a while. After that, I started paying out of my own pocket. But my husband and a friend of mine send out a weekly international news newsletter via Substack. They aren’t very consistent, but I haven’t seen their emails end up in spam. If you’re a student, it seems more practical to do it through Substack. As for creating a newsletter, once you’ve decided to produce news via email, the most important thing is determining the content.

I wanted to fi ll a gap in mainstream media. There’s a saying in literature: Every work, every author creates their own readership. Rather than defining a target audience, I identified my content and the gap I would fill. When you produce content in your chosen field, you create your own readership whether in literature or journalism. We see this when we look at figures with roots in investigative journalism. Names like İsmail Saymaz and Serdar Kuzuloğlu created their own reader bases. Spend more time focusing on your strengths and interests. Working in a field where you lack talent just because it’s trendy can lead to burnout and hinder meaningful contributions. I considered this when creating my newsletter. As a science journalist, I scan news and take notes every morning and evening, covering 12–13 stories daily. Since I already have plenty of material, I just need to organize it for the newsletter. Inbox’s dashboard, similar to WordPress, allows template customization. I set up four main categories: Health, Science, Technology, and Industry, each with its own section and images. I believe Hafıza Kartı’s standout feature is its design. Unlike typical newsletters that present news in paragraphs -making it hard to skim details- I use headlines for each paragraph and news item, sorted under the main categories. This way, readers can easily focus on their interests while skimming. Given that my newsletter is around 13 pages, encouraging readers to engage with the entire content is tough, so skimming options are essential. Additionally, eye-catching headlines are crucial they grab attention and improve reader engagement. I emphasize keeping everything organized so readers can quickly see the layout at a glance. I also prioritize design, adding visuals and often using free sites like Pixabay and Unsplash. If I have a subscription, I use Midjourney for images. However, I avoid overloading pages, as too many images can slow loading or cause pages to fail to load. Since a slow-loading site increases the likelihood that visitors will leave, simplicity and speed are key. I always pay attention to these aspects to ensure a smooth user experience.

A.Ş: Can newsletters like Hafıza Kartı be turned into a pure revenue model? Have you been able to turn them into a source of income?

Ç.Ü: Hafıza Kartı is not currently a source of income for me. This choice is partly personal; since I already work in this field, I haven’t seen the need to monetize it. Meanwhile, newsletters are a rapidly growing and popular medium worldwide, including in Türkiye. Aposto, in particular, is a leading team in this space. You can produce newsletters featuring weekly ad promotions, sponsorships, and profiles of companies supporting us this week. There are many benefits for advertisers, as newsletters provide direct access to a niche audience. In the past, we relied on targeted Facebook ads. Now, with European Union regulations, the era of targeted ads is ending, raising questions like “How will we find our audience?” Newsletters are becoming essential in this context. When you say, “I have a tech newsletter with this many readers and followers,” there’s no need to search for people interested in technology anymore. I run “Hafıza Kartı” independently and don’t accept ads. However, accepting sponsorships or ads requires setting up a legal entity and paying taxes. Typically, people in the newsletter industry earn their income primarily through advertisements. However, this can lead to potential conflicts of interest. For example, discussing critical issues in the tech industry while accepting ads from those companies might create a dilemma. If I highlight a technopolitical controversy, could the company advertising with me decide to sever ties? How much freedom do I have to express my views? An advertiser might warn: “Okay, I’m providing ads, but don’t criticize me in this issue.” Such contentious situations are possible. I’ve never even considered accepting ads related to health topics. For instance, if I took an ad for an oxygen monitor and a reader received a defective device, I would feel responsible. While these issues are somewhat controversial in journalism, the industry is gradually evolving in that direction.

Various video-centric companies, like 140 Journos, Fayn, and Ilgaz’s Scrolli, are working to separate advertising from journalism by establishing dedicated ad divisions for services such as production, video, and camera work, which also generate revenue to support media content. I believe that keeping advertising separate from journalism is more ethical. However, if I struggle to find work in the future, I might consider seeking sponsorship for Hafıza Kartı, though that would require efforts such as approaching companies and securing weekly ads, which is challenging. To manage this, partnerships could be useful; for example, one partner might focus on journalism while another handles fundraising.

“Navigating Google to find exactly what you need can be challenging, especially in the digital world where speed is essential.”

A.Ş: It is generally expected that artificial intelligence will be used to develop news content platforms worldwide. Do you utilize AI-powered applications when writing your news stories, or do you primarily use them to create visuals?

Ç.Ü: I rely heavily on AI for creating visuals and often use ChatGPT as a search engine. Navigating Google to find exactly what you need can be challenging, especially in the digital world where speed is essential. AI helps me accelerate this process. For example, when I encounter the word “hominin” while writing a science article, I know the meaning but struggle to phrase it. I then turn to Google, Wikipedia, Evrim Ağacı, and other sites, which often provide definitions that seem too complex. That’s why I adopt a storytelling approach in my writing. Since I lack a science background, I need to understand the concepts myself first to explain them clearly to readers. I’m ultimately not different from them at some point, I’m just as distant from the field. Therefore, I strive to explain concepts in language I understand. In tech, terms like blockchain or crypto can be complex. College students might grasp these definitions, but for lay readers, clear explanations are crucial. ChatGPT helps me here by simplifying explanations and providing clear information. However, verifying its accuracy is important, as it can sometimes be wrong. This feature saves me a lot of time and speeds up my workflow.

Regarding news channels adopting artificial intelligence, I don’t see such initiatives negatively. Automatable tasks should be automated. Beyond that, it’s governments’ responsibility; AI’s strength lies in automation. Addressing employment challenges is up to media owners and governments. I find this concerning because the media faces difficulties both globally and in Türkiye. This stems from a misinterpretation of the digital transition, which prevented establishing a sustainable revenue model. When media owners shifted to digital, they saw it mainly as an extension of advertising space and treated it as capital.

“They believed that more clicks would generate more income, leading to a reduced need for large print newspaper staff and shrinking the sector. Previously, providing quality information encouraged. Readers to buy newspapers.”

They believed that more clicks would generate more income, leading to a reduced need for large print newspaper staff and shrinking the sector. Previously, providing quality information encouraged readers to buy newspapers. Now, media moguls see readers simply as sources of clicks, creating a system where accountability shifts from the reader to advertisers. This merging of advertising with journalism has begun in this way. For instance, Google’s recent algorithm changes caused many news sites to collapse-click counts fell from millions to hundreds of thousands, drastically reducing their revenue. Sadly, this paints a bleak picture for my colleagues too. However, looking at the broader view, it ultimately feels positive because change is necessary. Relying heavily on Google ads and viewing readers mainly as clicks leads to producing duplicated news. As media outlets rush to publish breaking stories and fill their sites, this task is increasingly handed to recent graduates. They’re told: “Spend the whole day copy-pasting news from wire services minute by minute; post fifty stories.”

That kid can’t learn the journalism side of the job; they can’t develop expertise. Unfortunately, this is the kind of workforce forming in the media. This has nothing to do with journalism. A very inexpensive labor force is emerging, needing automation. These workers haven’t learned much or have anything to hold onto. Additionally, since they work cheaply, we might not need such employment. While AI isn’t highly advanced in this area yet, it could potentially take over these roles in the future, but a verification mechanism will always be necessary. These individuals should serve as verification, as increased access to information allows for the quick dissemination of news. Building on this, we could focus on engaging journalists and encouraging reflections such as “What did I do today? What did I produce? What did I contribute? What feedback did I receive? What was original about my work?” rather than just counting the number of news items published each day.

A.Ş: The incorporation of AI tools into news production workflows, particularly their use of open-source materials, has led to several challenges. Recently, there was a legal dispute between ChatGPT and The New York Times over copyright concerns. What is your opinion on this? Do you think copyright issues will continue to emerge?

Ç.Ü: Certainly, they will. As previously discussed regarding digital media, there’s a fundamental issue with the revenue model. Some companies now view copyright agreements with OpenAI as a revenue source, but this approach is ultimately unsustainable from a media standpoint because it has a clear endpoint. For example, The New York Times chose to go to court rather than sign such an agreement. They rely on a subscription model and prioritize reader engagement. In this context, the widespread distribution of their content through AI is not advantageous, as it undermines their subscription revenue; if readers access the same content via ChatGPT, the subscription model becomes less viable. Consequently, they see AI as a threat to their revenue. Conversely, some newspapers with non-subscription revenue streams viewed this differently and quickly signed copyright agreements. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation entered into a significant copyright deal, underscoring that the dominant share of the emerging copyright market still favors large corporations, contributing to income inequality. For independent publishers, Google’s algorithms have effectively reduced their readership, and ChatGPT’s distribution favors conglomerates like Murdoch’s. As an example, ChatGPT offers a fraction of what it gets from big companies, stating, “I’m not going to give you a million; take ten thousand dollars.” Such dynamics create new income disparities for independent publishers. Regarding open-source issues, OpenAI is also required to sign licensing agreements. Some experts warn that the AI education sector is approaching a major crisis, as it has reached the limits of available high-quality internet data. A study even predicts that high-quality datasets for AI training will be fully exhausted by 2028.

This naturally raises concerns about the future of AI development, as essential high-quality data is dwindling. As a response, a new area called “synthetic data” has emerged. Synthetic data is essentially AI generating its own training data, which can then be used by other models for further development. OpenAI has created a model named “Strawberry” designed specifically to produce synthetic data. By late 2024, they were offering a subscription at a steep price of around $200, aimed at generating training data for new open-source ChatGPT models that require data to train. A tech news website reported that OpenAI likely called “Orion O4” was planning to release a new model trained on “Strawberry.” A leak suggests this model didn’t meet expectations. The model trained on “Strawberry,” or synthetic data, is said to be slightly better than the ChatGPT 4 we use today.

That’s why OpenAI has created the “Foundations Unit” which will concentrate on this synthetic data project soon. Additionally, the industry seems to face challenges in sourcing training data.

A.Ş: Do you have any projects you’re planning to develop in the future? Will we see you in another high-quality field, such as Hafıza Kartı?

Ç.Ü: This type of journalism is very demanding. Naturally, I aim to enhance my skills further in this area, seeking to produce more impactful work. In Türkiye, the technology sector has notable gaps, largely because the current tech ecosystem is highly politicized. Many companies reflect this tendency, unlike abroad, where there’s a thriving culture of investigative journalism in tech. Although such practices are less common in Türkiye, the culture of “leaks” is quite widespread. Usually, someone on Facebook announces, “I’m leaking this,” and shortly after, someone at OpenAI leaks documents. These leaks prompt tech journalists to team up, analyze the documents, and turn the scandals into news. There are many aspects of this approach I admire, and I would love to create this kind of journalism myself.

By the way, I have no intention of moving abroad because I love my native language and I love my readers. That’s why I want to bring discussions from abroad here or get involved and write about issues like the BTK (Information and Communications Technology Authority) scandal or data breaches when they happen in Türkiye. Aside from journalism, my biggest dream has always been to write a work of fi ction. I want to try that before I get any older. Maybe if I can fi nd the time, I could take on a project completely independent of this fi eld, though continuing Hafıza Kartı remains my top priority. And, of course, I need to keep doing my job. Big goals are great, but you really must pay close attention to sustainability…

A.Ş: Ms. Çağla, we enjoyed our talk today; thank you so much for joining us.

Ç.Ü: Thank you.

Science, Technology and Journalism The True Power of Storytelling at the Digital Age yazısı ilk önce Context Dergi üzerinde ortaya çıktı.