CONTACT: Mike Dunn, WFSU-TV, (850) 487-3170

Oct. 22, 2008

‘TURKEY: BRIDGING CIVILIZATIONS’ PREMIERS ON WFSU-TV OCT. 29

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Turkey straddles two continents. A bridge is all that separates Europe from Asia, but a world separates Turkey from America. For some Floridians, the summer of 2008 was a time to bridge that gap.

Students, faculty and staff from Florida State University along with several Tallahasseeans visited Turkey, a land where old and new, Christians and Muslims, Asians and Europeans collide -- and coexist. Tallahassee producer/reporter Pam Forrester teamed up with Turkish videographer Gokhan Yorkciginal to produce “Turkey: Bridging Civilizations,” which premieres on WFSU-TV Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m. EST. The program will be repeated Sunday, Nov. 2, at 10 a.m. EST, along with multiple repeats on 4fsu, the university’s cable channel, at dates and times to be announced.

The group of 12 was invited by a student-run organization, the FSU Chapter of Tolerance and Dialogue, to get a first-hand look at this ancient country in hopes of dispelling many of the preconceived notions about Turkey.

“After 9/11 there were many reactions and misunderstandings of Islam especially for the American people,” said Gunes Ugras, a doctoral student at FSU and one of the group leaders. “So this Tolerance and Dialogue group is trying to help people meet Muslim and Turkish people to make a connection and get to know each other better.”

Forrester followed the group during a 10-day whirlwind trip, visiting historic sites in Istanbul, Ephesus, Cappadocia and Ankara. She introduces the viewing audience to professors, local businessmen and students who brought certain ideas with them to Turkey, but left with a completely different appreciation for the country and its people.

For one FSU student, Sophia Khawly, the trip opened her eyes to a Muslim culture she had seen little of while growing up in Miami.

“I have learned not to judge based on what you know from afar,” said Khawly, “because once you experience something first hand you realize how much it is different from your own first thoughts.”

Forrester is an award-winning journalist who often contributes to public television. She is the former anchor of Florida PBS’s “Today in the Legislature” and Tallahassee’s CBS affiliate WCTV.

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