Home - EMRE KIZILKAYA

Hi, I’m Emre Kizilkaya

An Istanbul-based researcher and editor

Short Bio

I worked as editor and executive at one of the largest media groups in Europe for more than 10 years during which I led digital content strategy and user engagement.

I served as a Vice-Chair and an Executive Board member of the Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI), a global network that shares a dedication to quality journalism, from 2021 to 2024.

I was a Fellow of the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. As a 2024-25 Technology and Human Rights Fellow, I conducted research on the theme of “Surveillance Capitalism or Democracy: Who Knows, Who Decides?”

From 2019 to 2025, I managed Journo in Turkey, a non-profit news platform for the next generation, as part of a media development project supported by the Journalists’ Union (TGS) and the EU with a total budget of €6,750,000.

I completed my Ph.D. at Galatasaray University in 2025; my dissertation is titled “The Algorithmic Veil: Affective Trust, AI Blind Spots, and the Design of Human-Centered News Ranking.”

Since 2024, I have taught the course “Introduction to AI for Media and Communication” at the same university, which is home to Turkey’s top communication school.

Work in Brief

I was selected by Harvard University for Knight Visiting Nieman Fellowship in 2019, and studied media sustainability in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

I have received several national and international journalism awards and recognitions. As an example, I was awarded as the Digital Journalist of the Year in 2018 by the Turkish Journalists’ Association.

I co-produced Turkey’s first VR news video, which was highlighted in 2017 among “Best Practice” by the International News Media Association (INMA).

I also co-produced “Turkey’s News Deserts“, which was ranked in the Top 100 in Sigma Awards 2022, a competition to celebrate the best data journalism from around the world.

I was quoted or interviewed by international media outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, BBC, Reuters, AP, ProPublica, AFP, Corriere Della Sera, Le Figaro, and The Intercept.

I wrote features and op-eds for international publications including Nieman Reports, Chatham House’s The World Today, and Al-Monitor.

I also contributed to numerous books and reports related to my work, including the U.K. Centre for Data Ethics & Innovation’s report on the role of AI in addressing misinformation on social media platforms, and OSCE’s 2025 policy manual on media freedom, platforms and AI.

Here are some selected publications I authored or co-authored:

Building on my Ph.D. work, my academic research explores the intersections of media, technology and human behavior in both physical spaces, like urban environments, and virtual ones, like digital platforms and mobile apps, using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

I am also a member of the international R&D team of the Inclusion+ project, which aims to tackle the challenges of Erasmus+ mobility inclusion and diversity at higher education level.

I contribute to the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, an opt-in panel of business professionals that participates in research to inform HBR’s coverage of management and leadership.

I also serve as a peer reviewer for the HKS Misinformation Review as part of a global network of scholars working to improve research on misinformation.

In addition, I am a member of the GitHub Developer Program.

Both in business and academia, my main focuses of interest include measuring the value of user and content, choice architecture, building public trust through UX, analyzing digital communities, and change management.

With these focuses, I have managed teams ranging from five to more than 200 people from multiple disciplines in various corporate projects for the creation of innovative storytelling formats, designing new editorial metrics, and improving our content recommendation engine.

Some of the Certificates and Professional Courses I Completed:

¤ IBM Certificate for Developing AI Applications with Python and Flask

¤ IIBA Training on Predictive Analytics and Data Mining

¤ MIT Certificate for Design Thinking for Leading and Learning

¤ Northwestern University Medill School Certificate on Content Strategy: Engaging Audiences

¤ IAB-Accredited Course on Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

¤ Alteryx Course on Problem Solving with Advanced Analytics

¤ Professional exchange programs of the United States (IVLP), the EU (TAIEX), NATO and OSCE

I have participated as a featured speaker in dozens of international events around the world, including RightsCon, the International Journalism Festival, and seminars at the European Parliament, addressing topics such as media freedoms, digital platforms, algorithms, and AI.

I believe that my strongest skills are creativity, adaptability, and collaboration.

As long as my children let me during my free time, I like taking long walks, reading Ottoman poetry, watching indie films, listening to Tom Waits, and playing Europa Universalis. Not simultaneously, if possible.

Before a career spanning more than 20 years, I was born in 1982, the year that some think as the end of the wonderful Generation X and the beginning of the pesky Millennials.

I believe in the future.

Go back

EMRE KIZILKAYA