Amberin Zaman on why she writes
Al-Monitor columnist Amberin Zaman shares her thoughts on journalism.
Amberin Zaman has been writing for Al-Monitor since February 2013. She is an Istanbul-based writer who has covered Turkey for The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Daily Telegraph and Voice of America. A frequent commentator on Turkish television, she is currently Turkey correspondent for The Economist, a position she has held since 1999. She is a regular contributor to the German Marshall Fund of the United States' "On Turkey" series. She has also written columns for major Turkish newspapers. Her areas of specialization include Turkish foreign policy, the Kurds and Turkish-Armenian reconciliation.
Al-Monitor: Why did you decide to become a journalist?
Zaman: I didn’t “decide” to become a journalist. I stumbled into it. And I haven’t looked back ever since. I get paid for my favorite hobby, which is to travel, meet different people, be nosy, ask questions and tell stories.
Al-Monitor: Did you have women role models to look up to when you were first starting out? Who?
