Press and publication culture in Siirt (1937-2000)

This thesis investigates the history of the journalism in Siirt between 1937 and 2000, drawing upon both written and oral sources. The thesis does not solely rely on documents; it also incorporates oral history interviews with journalists and printers who witnessed the period, utilizing their testimonies as primary sources. In this respect, the thesis aims to offer a unique contribution to the fields of local history writing and press history. This research examines why the rapidly developing press activities in post-Republican Turkey emerged relatively late in Siirt and how this process evolved. The history of local journalism in Siirt commenced in 1937 with the publication of the Siirt Newspaper, pioneered by Mehmet Emin Kılıççıoğlu and Zeki Şalış. This thesis analyzes all newspapers and magazines published in Siirt's city center and its districts, commencing from the aforementioned date, examining their technical infrastructure, content diversity, and social implications. The first chapter of this thesis focuses on the technical development of printing in the city, the technical development of printing presses, typesetting processes, and distribution methods, based on the oral history interviews conducted. The second, third, and fourth chapters address the newspapers and magazines published in Siirt's city center and its districts, examining their publication years, content characteristics, editorial teams, publication durations, and reasons for cessation. The data utilized in these chapters were sourced from the Ankara National Library, the Istanbul Beyazıt State Library, personal collections of certain journalists, and the researcher's self-compiled newspaper archive. Furthermore, official documents obtained from the Republic Archive, combined with academic publications from the period, were integrated to establish context on both local and national scales. In the second chapter, early local publications, primarily the Siirt Newspaper published between 1937 and 1960, are introduced; their reasons for publication, technical capabilities, and content policies are examined. The third chapter analyzes newspapers such as Mücadele, Siirt'te Son Söz, Adalet, and Batman Sesi within the context of increasing press diversity and professionalization trends between 1960 and 1980. News gathering methods, relationships with official institutions, and censorship practices during this period are also evaluated. The fourth chapter addresses developments in the post-1980 period, including technical transformations, the digitalization process, and the transition to a correspondent system. In this regard, the present thesis not only historically contextualizes newspaper and printing activities in Siirt but also comprehensively evaluates the local press's role in preserving cultural identity, its contribution to the construction of social memory, and its impact on the transformation of communication structures.