RobertBadendieck
Journalist | Berlin
Reporting on the people and events shaping our world, in text, photography, and film.
Articles
Articles that I authored, co-authored or made contribution to
Turkey's soaring costs are creating a 'lost generation' of kids forced to help their families get by
One-third of Turkey's children live in poverty, with many forced to work to support their struggling families.
Trump's foreign aid freeze forces health clinics in a vulnerable region of Syria to close
The Trump administration's abrupt freeze in foreign aid has closed health clinics offering free care in one of Syria's most vulnerable regions.
Turkey is marking its centennial. But a brain drain has cast a shadow on the occasion
Turkey is marking its centennial. Government statistics indicate that a growing number of the young are looking to move abroad, mainly in Europe.
Imprisoned Kurdish leader urges his PKK militant group to disarm to make peace with Turkey
Imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his militant group Thursday to lay down its arms and dissolve as part of a new bid to end a four-decade long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Facing a government crackdown on dissent, Turkey's protesters put aside their differences
The arrest of an opposition presidential candidate last month has triggered the largest anti-government protests Turkey has seen in more than a decade, uniting demonstrators from different walks of life and sometimes diametrically opposed political views.
Cats, cuddly toys and a portrait of Stalin: the last lift lady guarding Tbilisi’s brutalist skybridge
In the Georgian capital, 70-year-old Mzia Sabanadze manually operates the pay-as-you go elevator to the bridge connecting the once-futuristic Nutsubidze apartment blocks
Video Journalism
The craftsmanship behind Istanbul's glowing Ramadan messages | DW News
Turkish teen filmed 'last moments' from quake hit apartment
A high school student has captured Turkish hearts after he filmed a farewell message to his loved ones as he was trapped under the rubble of his home during last week’s earthquake. Taha Erdem and his family were fast asleep when a 7.8-magnitude quake hit their hometown of Adiyaman in the early hours of Feb 6.
Inside Gen Z-led anti-government protests in Turkey I Fayn (2025)
Student-led demonstrations turned into nationwide anti-government protests after İstanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, President Erdoğan's top rival, was arrested on corruption and terrorism charges. The Minister of Justice announced that 1,500 people were detained during the protests, and around 200 individuals were arrested. The opposition vows to continue the protests. Here's what protesters had to say.
10 Tage Dunkelheit: Wie die Türkei ihre Medien zum Schweigen bringt | DER SPIEGEL
Arrests, broadcasting bans: Government-critical media in Turkey are under immense pressure. Why? We accompanied journalists on the ground and reveal how they are being silenced.
Turkey is marking its centennial. But a brain drain has cast a shadow on the occasion
Pope Leo XIV has landed in Turkey's capital Ankara for first foreign trip as pontiff | DW News
About
Born and raised in Istanbul and currently residing in Berlin, I am a multi-media journalist whose work documents the people and events shaping our world. For almost a decade, I have reported from disaster zones, covered underreported social issues, and endeavored to build a body of visual storytelling grounded in accuracy and empathy.
My reporting and photography have appeared across international outlets, like the Associated Press, BBC, Der Spiegel and many more.
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