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Emily Wither

@emilywither.bsky.social
189 followers 23 following 53 posts

Istanbul-based correspondent making documentaries and reporting for BBC, Channel 4 News & others. linktr.ee/EmilyWither

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
“International observers called the last elections in Turkey free but not fair. And with Erdoğan’s rivals in prison, some are asking whether the next national vote will be free at all.” My dispatch for BBC Radio’s From Our Own Correspondent.
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Amid a sweeping crackdown in Turkey against LGBTQ+ I met one group who decided to put on a free concert in a show of solidarity. The audience was smaller than usual and the band thought about cancelling but decided not to, 'because this is what they want us to do.' theworld.org/segments/202...
theworld.org
Turkey raids bars and NGOs in crackdown on LGBTQ+ activists and journalists - The World from PRX
Turkey’s prime minister has ordered crackdowns on Istanbul’s LGBTQ+ communities, and there have been widespread raids and arrests under obscenity laws to ‘protect families.’ Long lines of police filed...
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Turkey recap @turkeyrecap.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
"Is Turkey's clothing industry unravelling at the seams?" by Emily Wither.
bbc.com
BBC Audio | The Documentary Podcast | Is Turkey's clothing industry unravelling at the seams?
The Turkish textile industry is at risk after hundreds of apparel factories have closed
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Turkey recap @turkeyrecap.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
"Turkey on trial: Can courts control a nation?" by Emily Wither.
bbc.com
BBC Audio | The Documentary Podcast | Turkey on trial: Can courts control a nation?
From jailed mayors to comedians, Emily Wither investigates Turkey's crackdown
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
In Turkey, opposition mayors, journalists, students and even comedians are increasingly finding themselves in court. My new doc investigates the crackdown, looks at how Turkey’s justice system evolved under Erdogan, & explores what space is left for free speech: www.bbc.com/audio/play/p...
bbc.com
BBC Audio | The Documentary Podcast | Turkey on trial: Can courts control a nation?
From jailed mayors to comedians, Emily Wither investigates Turkey's crackdown
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Could the 'Made in Turkey' label vanish from our wardrobes? I made a business show on why it might - soaring inflation, hundreds of bankrupt factories, tens of thousands out of work, and production shifting to countries like Egypt. www.bbc.com/audio/play/p...
bbc.com
BBC Audio | The Documentary Podcast | Is Turkey's clothing industry unravelling at the seams?
The Turkish textile industry is at risk after hundreds of apparel factories have closed
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Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
UK residents desperate for news of relatives missing in Nepal www.channel4.com/news/uk-resi...
channel4.com
UK residents desperate for news of relatives missing in Nepal
In the UK, relatives of the Britons who've been listed as missing in Nepal are ever more desperate for news while some are travelling out to Kathmandu in the hope of finding some information about the...
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Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Burnham exchanges messages with impersonator of Trump’s chief of staff www.channel4.com/news/burnham...
channel4.com
Burnham exchanges messages with impersonator of Trump’s chief of staff
Someone posing as Donald Trump's chief of staff managed to exchange messages with Andy Burnham before the hoax was discovered.
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Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
National Trust’s appeal to restore Suffolk nature reserve after wildfire ‘devastation’ www.channel4.com/news/nationa...
channel4.com
National Trust’s appeal to restore Suffolk nature reserve after wildfire ‘devastation’
Firefighters are still tackling a blaze which has caused “total devastation” to heathland in Suffolk, and the National Trust has announced a public appeal to restore the reserve.
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
The former chair of Turkey's main opposition party, Özgür Özel, has formed his own party to challenge current president Erdoğan in upcoming elections. youtube.com/shorts/lfi23...
youtube.com
New Party formed to challeng Turkey's Erdoğan
YouTube video by Channel 4 News
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Out covering the wildfires today in the UK - this is the second drought summer in a row and our new reality: a climate heating up from decades of burning coal, oil and gas. Producing hotter, drier, more flammable summers.
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Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Japan earthquake – race to rescue workers trapped in collapsed shopping centre www.channel4.com/news/japan-e...
channel4.com
Japan earthquake – race to rescue workers trapped in collapsed shopping centre
Japan's worst earthquake in two years has caused widespread damage and destruction on the southern island of Kyushu.
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Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Gaza students’ hopes to study in UK depends on celebrity auction
channel4.com
Gaza students’ hopes to study in UK depends on celebrity auction
Israel continues to launch air strikes on Gaza, despite the October ceasefire.
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
It is ten years since Turkey's coup attempt - when a faction of the military tried to topple Erdoğan's government. I visited the neighbourhood directly below Bosphorus Bridge, which saw some of the fiercest fighting, to hear from those that came on to the streets www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
bbc.com
BBC Audio | Witness History | Turkey’s failed coup
On 15 July 2016, more than 300 people were killed in the coup attempt
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Foreign Media Association @fma-turkey.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
FMA joins IPI and other journalists' and #pressfreedom groups in calling on NATO to address the denial of media accreditation to independent news outlets and journalists in Turkey seeking to cover the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara. turkiye.ipi.media/joint-letter...
turkiye.ipi.media
Joint Letter to NATO: Accreditation Process Excludes Independent Turkish Journalists from Summit - IPI Turkiye Website
IPI, together with press freedom, freedom of expression, and human rights organisations, has written to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to raise urgent concerns about the denial of accreditation to ...
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
I've been speaking to Iranians turning away from state-imposed religion. Decades after promising a more godly society, many feel the state has weaponised religion carrying out repression in the name of God. Hear more in my documentary, War, God and the Islamic Republic. www.bbc.com/audio/play/p...
bbc.com
BBC Audio | The Documentary Podcast | War, God and the Islamic Republic
How Iranians are turning away from state-imposed religion.
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Albania has seen huge protests over Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner's plans to develop a luxury tourism project there. I went on BBC Global Story to discuss how these demos are far from over as a young population fight privilege & power. Listen www.bbc.com/audio/play/w... or watch tinyurl.com/58xnz225
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Protests are growing in Albania over a planned tourism development linked to President Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner - thousands have been demonstrating in the capital. We made a documentary about the plans for the coast - listen to the backstory 🎧 bbc.com/audio/play/p...
bbc.com
BBC Audio | The Documentary Podcast | Albania: Land, money and the sea
Ivanka Trump, a beach full of sheep and the changing landscape of southern Albania
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
On From Our Own Correspondent this week with a dispatch from Albania’s coast which is drawing big-name developers like Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. But land disputes, court battles & environmental worries show the past still colliding with the country’s future: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/f...
podcasts.apple.com
Donald Trump and a dangerous ultimatum
Podcast Episode · From Our Own Correspondent · 11 April · 29min
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
What does Ivanka Trump want with a Balkan beach and why are locals & environmentalists in court? We went to Albania's coast - where the communist past is still colliding with the present in disputes over land, ownership & corruption. Take a listen to our documentary 🎧 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
bbc.co.uk
BBC Radio 4 - Crossing Continents, Albania: Land, Money and the Sea
Ivanka Trump, a beach full of sheep and the changing landscape of southern Albania.
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
I’ve spent the last week or so reporting from the Turkey-Iran border. Iranians crossing into Turkey are increasingly sharing stories about how the war is spilling into their homes.
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
What Iranians have been telling us today on the Turkey-Iran border
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Turkey has deployed six F-16 fighter jets to Northern Cyprus - more on the BBC Iran live page www.bbc.com/news/live/cz...
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Iranians crossing the border into Turkey tell us they’ve been warned not to speak to journalists 👇
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DW Deutsche Welle @deutschewelle.dw.com · 20/02/2026
A DW correspondent was arrested in Turkey yesterday. DW Director General Massing calls for his immediate release: "The fact that a journalist is being treated like a serious criminal, taken away by 30 police officers and brought directly to Istanbul, serves as a deliberate act of intimidation."
corporate.dw.com
DW correspondent arrested in Turkey
A correspondent, who has been with DW in Turkey for several years, was arrested in Ankara on February 19. He was taken to the headquarters of the Istanbul Provincial Police, the highest police authori...
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Turkey recap @turkeyrecap.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
"From American Pastor to Whirling Dervish" by @emilywither.bsky.social. [4/5]
bbc.com
BBC Audio | The Documentary Podcast | From American Pastor to Whirling Dervish
Former US Christian pastor, Ismail Fenter, fell for Rumi and became a whirling dervish
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Foreign Media Association @fma-turkey.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
The pending deportation from Turkey of French journalist Raphaël Boukandoura threatens to set a disturbing precedent for press freedom. Our full statement: fmaturkey.org/raphael-bouk...
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
What a day to be in the newsroom...we took a look at the rise and fall of Nicolás Maduro on @channel4news.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qto...
youtube.com
Venezuelan leader faces US drug and weapons charges - who is Nicolás Maduro?
YouTube video by Channel 4 News
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Israel has now seized municipal powers over Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque from Palestinians. Palestinian officials say it threatens the historic status of one of Islam’s holiest sites. I recently made a documentary about rising tensions there - www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...
bbc.co.uk
BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, Prayers through the Checkpoints
We hear from Palestinians striving to reach places of worship amid increased security.
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Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
Several dozen killed after deadly fire at Swiss ski resort. www.channel4.com/news/several...
channel4.com
Several dozen killed after deadly fire at Swiss ski resort
The cause of the devastating blaze at Le Constellation bar hasn’t been established.
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Turkey arrests hundreds of suspected Islamic State militants in crackdown www.channel4.com/news/turkey-...
channel4.com
Turkey arrests hundreds of suspected Islamic State militants in crackdown
Turkey says it has detained another 125 suspected Islamic State militants after carrying out dozens of simultaneous raids across the country.
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
I went to Hebron & East Jerusalem to investigate the increasing challenges Palestinians face visiting two significant mosques (sites also sacred to Jews). Is the delicate status quo at some of the world's holiest & most contested sites changing? www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...
bbc.co.uk
BBC World Service - The Documentary Podcast, Prayers through the checkpoints
We hear from Palestinians striving to reach places of worship amid increased security
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
What does it cost to call for peace in Israel today? For Jewish & Palestinian activists w/ @standing-together.bsky.social, Standing Together the price includes threats, arrests, & pushback from both sides. Our follow-up doc, two years after Oct 7th, tells their story www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
bbc.co.uk
Crossing Continents - The struggle of Israel's peace movement - BBC Sounds
The Israeli and Palestinian activists who defy threats to dare to call for peace.
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Rest of World @restofworld.org · 10/11/2025
In his first interview on the job, Syria’s new tech minister Abdulsalam Haykal talks to @emilywither.bsky.social about how he plans to rebuild the country’s shattered digital infrastructure — and why he came back after years in exile restofworld.org/2025/syria-tech-min…
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
Old Damascus - incredible (and still surreal) to be able to now hop on a two hour flight from Istanbul
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Thrilled to be shortlisted for the best feature award with my documentary from Saudi Arabia: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
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Longreads @longreads.com · 19/09/2025
“‘The first thing that happened when the regime fell is that the mobile phones started working again!’ It was, maybe, a good omen.” @emilywither.bsky.social for @restofworld.org : restofworld.org/2025/syria-t...
restofworld.org
Syria’s quest to build its own Silicon Valley
Tech founders in Damascus are rebooting a war-torn country.
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Cengiz Yar @cengizyar.com · 17/09/2025
"When you’re in Silicon Valley, you never really think of the ordinary. You’re always thinking of the disruptive. Syria will be the ultimate disrupter." @emilywither.bsky.social @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/syria-t...
restofworld.org
Syria’s quest to build its own Silicon Valley
Tech founders in Damascus are rebooting a war-torn country.
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Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
“Take the only fertility clinic in Gaza. They smashed the tanks, killed those embryos.” Navi Pillay, Chair of the UN commission of inquiry, tells @krishgm.bsky.social they were “thorough” in determining that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Read and watch: www.channel4.com/news/why-my-...
channel4.com
Why my UN commission concluded Israel committing genocide in Gaza
Channel 4 News speaks to Navi Pillay, a South African jurist who was the Chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
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Rest of World @restofworld.org · 16/09/2025
Assad is out. Startups are in. Read @emilywither.bsky.social's feature on the new Syria restofworld.org/2025/syria-t...
restofworld.org
Syria’s quest to build its own Silicon Valley
Tech founders in Damascus are rebooting a war-torn country.
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Turkey recap @turkeyrecap.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
📰Sunday extras! "Turkey's 'Year of the Family'" by @emilywither.bsky.social and @zbilginsoy.bsky.social. [1/5]
bbc.co.uk
BBC World Service - Business Daily, Turkey's 'Year of the Family'
President Erdoğan wants women to have at least three children to boost the birth rate
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
President Erdogan wants women to have at least three children to boost the country's declining birthrate. Will it work? My programme on Turkey's 'Year of the Family' initiative for BBC World Service 🎧 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...
bbc.co.uk
BBC World Service - Business Daily, Turkey's 'Year of the Family'
President Erdoğan wants women to have at least three children to boost the birth rate
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Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
Xi and Modi are ‘partners not rivals’ in attempt to repair China-India ties www.channel4.com/news/xi-and-...
channel4.com
Xi and Modi are ‘partners not rivals’ in attempt to repair China-India ties
For years the relationship between China and India was characterised by mistrust, with the Indians leaning towards the west for support. But the two countries are being pushed closer by Trump's tariff...
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
We covered the announcement yesterday on @channel4news.bsky.social on new chickenpox vaccines www.channel4.com/news/nhs-to-... but with vaccine uptake at a 15 year low we spoke to Dr. Okorocha about how social media is fuelling hesitancy.
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Another five journalists were killed in Gaza in an Israeli double tap strike on a hospital - among them Mariam Dagga who had just told her sister she believed she would be killed ‘today or tomorrow’. Our piece for @channel4news.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=EevA...
youtube.com
Gaza journalist believed she would be killed ‘today or tomorrow’
YouTube video by Channel 4 News
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Huge thanks to ‪@rorypecktrust.bsky.social‬ for making sure freelance & independent journalists (like we three!) receive the safety training we need to work in high risk envir. Many of us work as freelancers without the security of big newsrooms, this is one org making sure we are looked after.
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
Once bustling Syrian neighbourhoods in Turkey are now noticeably quieter. As 100s of thousands of Syrians head home after Assad's fall - I take a look at the implications for Turkey's economy, and for Syrians that want to remain 🎧 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...
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Turkey recap @turkeyrecap.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
"The Syrian businesses leaving Turkey" by @emilywither.bsky.social. [3/5]
bbc.co.uk
BBC World Service - Business Daily, The Syrian businesses leaving Turkey
We’re in Istanbul, where many refugee-owned shops are closing down as Syrians return home
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Syria’s Alawites were once feared because of their long standing connection to the brutal Assad regime. Now the minority Shia sect are fearing for their lives. I’m in Lebanon speaking to Alawites, after 1000s fled sectarian violence, about their faith and future 🎧 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...
bbc.co.uk
BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, The future of the Alawites
Emily Wither meets Syrian Alawites that have fled to Lebanon
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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Scientists have long been predicting a powerful earthquake could strike Istanbul. Last year we made a documentary about how hundreds of thousands of the buildings in the city are unsafe and the complexities of trying to replace them: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...
bbc.co.uk
BBC World Service - The Documentary Podcast, Assignment: Tempting fate - Istanbul's earthquake dilemma
Emily Wither reports from Istanbul on the threat of an earthquake striking the city
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