About

Istanbul, the world capital of conspiracies, espionage, intrigue, and cliched journalism …

Claire, a novelist and freelance writer, and Okan, a documentary filmmaker, are independent journalists who live in Istanbul. We’ve had it with press coverage of this region that relies eternally on the same recycled handful of tired sources, uncritically repeats partisan propaganda, and sheds more heat than light. The coverage of the Mavi Marmara flotilla fiasco was the last straw: If this is a media war, we decided, someone needs to be shooting straight.

We’re on a mission to find out what’s really going on here. We’re going to speak to the people you never hear from, ask the questions that never seem to get asked, and try to figure out just what the hell is really going on in this corner of the Orient.

The Orient Express is an experiment in independent journalism.  We have biases—of course we do—but we’re forthright about them. We let our subjects speak for themselves (although we’re sometimes inclined to argue with them). We look for evidence, not propaganda. The only parts we edit out are the really boring ones.

We’re funded by you. This will only work if you donate money. If you feel we’re doing something valuable, please make a contribution.

Do you have a question about this region? Ask us. For the right price, we’ll try to find the answer for you. (We can’t guarantee you’ll like it, of course.)

Please support us. If you’d prefer to send a check or money order, please contact us: claire@berlinski.com or okan@nimbusla.com.