Turkey Editor (Contractor)

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Turkey Editor (Contractor)

About MBN

Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) is the premier Arabic-first media organization that connects the Middle East and the United States. The company is in the midst of an exciting digital transformation and looking for energetic and talented people who care about journalism and the Middle East to join us on this journey.

We provide original and indispensable reporting, perspectives and commentary on the Middle East and how America’s engagement impacts the region. MBN delivers content in both Arabic and English across multiple platforms, in formats including written articles, short-form video, newsletters, podcasts, data trackers and social media.

Our target audience is decision-makers, influencers, and residents of key capitals across the Middle East, as well as the next generation of globally engaged, digitally connected youth.

About the Role

MBN is seeking an experienced, highly connected Turkey Editor based in Istanbul or Ankara to lead, plan, edit, and directly report our coverage across Turkey and its strategic footprint in the wider Middle East.

This is a senior hybrid role combining news desk direction with active field reporting, source cultivation, and on-air analysis. Because MBN operates with an agile network of freelance and per-piece multimedia reporters across Turkish cities and border regions, the Turkey Editor sits at the operational center commissioning, assigning, line-editing, and packaging content, while directly breaking major enterprise stories, leading real-time live blogs, curating a specialized newsletter, and providing regular on-camera and podcast commentary.

The role demands a deep, non-protocol understanding of:

• Turkey’s cross-border military posture: security operations in northern Iraq and Syria, counter-terrorism files, and strategic defense industry exports (drones, naval systems, aerospace).
• Ankara’s geopolitical balancing act: managing NATO commitments and U.S. bilateral defense ties alongside strategic engagement with Russia, Iran, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia.
• Regional diplomacy and economic corridors: the Iraq-Turkey Development Road project, energy transit pipelines, Eastern Mediterranean maritime files, and diplomatic relations with Arab capitals.
• Domestic macroeconomic restructuring: Central Bank monetary policies, inflation trends, fiscal reforms, and trade flows with the MENA region and the West.
• Internal politics and governance: parliamentary dynamics, constitutional debates, municipal politics, youth civic engagement, and refugee/migration management policies.
• The ideal candidate pairs the sharp news judgment and line-editing precision of a senior desk editor with the rolodex, investigative drive, and agility of a veteran foreign correspondent.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The following tasks are considered essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions:

 Editorial Planning, Desk Direction, and Network Management

• Direct daily newsgathering and long-term editorial planning for Turkey coverage, including major political, security, diplomatic, and economic developments.
• Assign, coordinate, and edit reporting from MBN’s multimedia contributors, stringers, fixers, and videographers across Turkey.
• Coordinate with MBN editorial leadership and regional desks to ensure Turkey coverage is timely, relevant, and integrated into broader news priorities.

 Original Enterprise Reporting, Sourcing, and Scoops

• Pitch, report, shoot, write, and edit original investigative, analytical, and enterprise stories for MBN’s digital platforms.
• Build and maintain a strong network of government, political, diplomatic, security, economic, business, academic, and civil-society sources.
• Conduct high-level interviews and produce independent reporting on Turkey’s domestic affairs, regional security, foreign policy, and economic developments.

 Breaking News and Publish-Ready Production

• Lead coverage during major breaking-news events, including live blogs, rapid-response analysis, and digital updates.
• Line-edit, fact-check, and review Turkey-related stories, video scripts, and other editorial content to ensure accuracy, balance, clarity, and publication readiness.
• Ensure compliance with MBN editorial standards, style guidelines, sourcing and verification requirements, and applicable legal standards.

 Newsletter, Video, and Multiplatform Output

• Write, curate, and edit MBN’s Turkey-focused newsletter and contribute analysis and context on major domestic and regional developments.
• Produce and support digital video, explainers, graphics, podcasts, live appearances, and other multiplatform content.

 Bilingual Integration and Regional Context

• Oversee and adapt Turkey-related content across Arabic and English platforms, ensuring appropriate regional context and editorial consistency.
• Translate and contextualize Turkish political, economic, and security developments for MBN’s regional and international audiences.

 

Other Duties:

Perform additional job-related duties and take on new responsibilities as needed based on organizational requirements and circumstances.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, International Relations, Political Science, Economics, Middle Eastern Studies, or related field (or equivalent professional experience).
• 8–10+ years of professional journalism experience, combining newsroom desk editing/planning with extensive on-the-ground reporting in Turkey.
• Deep, verified knowledge of Turkish domestic politics, defense industries, cross-border military operations, macroeconomic policies, and U.S.-Turkey/NATO strategic ties.
• Proven, active network of contacts among Turkish policymakers, defense and security analysts, economists, diplomats, and civil society figures.
• Expert line-editing, copy editing, and structural editing skills, with proven experience managing live blogs, breaking news desks, and forward editorial calendars.
• Fluency in Turkish (capable of conducting high-level interviews and analyzing local media/official decrees) alongside native or professional working proficiency in Arabic and strong working capability in English (able to edit, write scripts, and coordinate across language desks).
• Demonstrated experience writing digital newsletters, scripting video explainers, and delivering clear on-camera and audio podcast analysis.
• Thorough understanding of Turkey’s media regulations, press licensing rules (Directorate of Communications), and digital publication laws, combined with field safety awareness.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience as a Turkey Bureau Chief, Senior Correspondent, or Desk Editor for an international news agency (e.g., Reuters, AFP, AP, Bloomberg) or top-tier digital newsroom.
• Background in defense/security reporting or macroeconomic/trade journalism.
• Experience managing distributed networks of freelance contributors and videographers across multiple cities.
• Certified Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) or equivalent safety credentials.

MBN is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees