Coşkun Aral (1 May 1956, Siirt) is a Turkish journalist, war correspondent, photographer, and documentary producer. He began his career in press photography in 1974 and gained international recognition in 1977 for the photographic frames he captured during the May 1 events. In addition to photojournalism, he worked as a war correspondent, contributed to various documentary projects, and produced television programs.

Coşkun Aral was born on May 1, 1956, in Siirt. He completed his education at 14 Eylül Primary School, Oruç Gazi Middle School, and Mecidiyeköy High School. His interest in journalism began in childhood, and during high school he decided to pursue a career in journalism.

He began his journalism career in 1974 as a press photographer for Günaydın and Gün newspapers. In 1976 he continued working at the Economic and Politics newspaper. The photographic frames he took during the May 1 events of 1977 were published in Time and Newsweek magazines, bringing him international recognition. He then began working under the Sipa Press agency. He worked as a freelance photo correspondent for Milliyet and Hürriyet newspapers.

In 1980 he was assigned abroad for the first time on behalf of Sipa Press, covering the Gdańsk Strike in Poland. That same year, his archival work on the September 12 coup appeared on the covers of international magazines such as Newsweek and L’Express. On October 14, 1980, he drew attention by conducting an interview with hijackers aboard a kidnapped aircraft.

From the 1980s onward, he served as a photo correspondent in war zones including the Middle East, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, Chad, and the Far East. He contributed to magazines such as Time, Newsweek, Paris-Match, Stern, and Epoca.

Starting in 1986, in addition to photojournalism, he turned to television journalism. He began his war correspondence work on Mehmet Ali Birand’s program “32. Gün.” Later, he took charge of the production and management of the “Haberci” program.

In 2006 he founded İZ TV, one of Türkiye’s first documentary channels. In 2007 the channel won an award in the documentary category at the Hot Bird TV Awards in Europe. In 2018 he launched a YouTube channel titled “Coşkun Aral Anlatıyor.”

_{1980 Hijacked Aircraft - Coşkun Aral}

Aral also undertook various projects in the documentary field. He produced documentary series such as “Haberci,” “Dünya Güncesi,” “Savaşın Tanıkları,” and “Türkiye Notları.” He also created several documentary films including “Anadolu Aslanı: Kangal” and “Pamir’den Van’a Özgürlüğün Nal Sesleri.”

His photography and documentary exhibitions have been displayed in various parts of the world. His refugee-themed exhibition titled “Exodus” was shown in Kuala Lumpur in 2016, in Ankara and Istanbul in 2017, and in Bangkok in 2018.

^{Afghanistan, 1983-1996 I am afraid of darkness. Does a war correspondent fear darkness? Yes, he does. A few people illuminated by a sliver of moonlight calm my fear. (Coşkun Aral)}

Coşkun Aral married Müge Aral in 2002 and has a daughter named Deniz. He combined his interest in food with his book “Annemin Yemekleri” and has also conducted studies on culinary culture.

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITIONS

• War photographs taken between 1983 and 1985 were exhibited at FNAC in Paris.
• War photographs from 1983 to 1985 were exhibited at the Time Life Gallery in New York.
• In 1988 he held a joint exhibition with Ara Güler in Denmark and Finland.
• In 1993 he curated an exhibition titled “War and Humanity” at the Foreigners Culture Center in Düsseldorf, Germany.
• In February 2001 a war-themed photography exhibition was held at the Foreigners Culture Center of the Ministry of Culture in Vienna.
• In 2008 a photograph selected by Le Figaro magazine was included among the most defining images of the last 30 years and exhibited at the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris.

• Haberci (a documentary series of 190 episodes, each 45 minutes long)
• Global Vision and Go East Go West (producer of documentaries broadcast in Germany)
• Savaşın Tanıkları (a documentary series of 4 episodes, each 50 minutes long)
• Türkiye Notları (a documentary series of 4 episodes, each 50 minutes long)
• Abidin Dino Portresi (biographical documentary)
• Pamir’den Van’a Özgürlüğün Nal Sesleri (documentary film)
• Anadolu Aslanı: Kangal (documentary film)
• Sonsuz Mavilikler Ülkesi Bodrum (documentary film)
• Dünya Güncesi (a documentary series of 40-minute episodes, still airing on İZ TV)
• Türkiye Notları (a documentary series of 40-minute episodes, still airing on İZ TV)
• Haberci İz Peşinde (a 13-episode documentary series, each 30 minutes long, broadcast on TRT TÜRK)
• Ülke Rehberi (a 52-episode country guide series, each 4 minutes long, broadcast on TRT TÜRK)
• İstanbul’a Dokun (Türkiye’s first 3D documentary film, İZ TV)

• In 1983 he co-authored the war photography album “Galile’de Barış” with four other war photographers including Reza of National Geographic and Yan Morvan. Published by Edition de Miniut, this book on the Lebanese War was later printed in Germany and Algeria.
• He was featured in the book “War Torn” published by Pantheon in New York, which showcases the 31 best war photographers of the era.
• In 1988 he published the adventure photography album “Türkiye: Bin Millik Büyük Serüven”.
• In 1995, two books were published in the United States by Fielding Worldwide: “Savaş Tehlikeli Işık” and “Dünyanın En Tehlikeli Yerleri”.
• In July 2000 the photo album “Sözün Bittiği Yer”, which compiles his work during his years as a war photographer, was published. The album features nearly all the wars that have taken place in the world over the past 20 years.
• In 2003 Alkım Yayınları published his memoir “Ölümün Yakasında İliştirilmiş Hayatlar”, which collects his memories of war.
• In 2010, under the sponsorship of Hotpoint-Ariston and for the benefit of TEV, he published the book “Annemin Yemekleri”, which contains traditional Turkish recipes.
• In 2015 he co-authored the documentary book “Biz Kültür Yolcuları” with Nebil Özgentürk and Can Dündar, which was published together with a DVD.

• 1980-81 Turkish Journalists Association Achievement Awards, Photography Category
• 1984 Nokta Magazine, Doruktakiler Award
• 1996 Magazine Journalists Association, “Achievement Award”
• 1996 Radio and Television Journalists Association, “Cengiz Polatkan Award”
• 1997-99 Istanbul University, Faculty of Communication, “Best Documentary Award”
• 1998 Contemporary Journalists Association, “Most Successful TV Program Award”
• 1998 Turkish Journalists Association Achievement Awards, Documentary Category
• 1998 Sedat Simavi Awards, “Best Documentary Award”
• 1998-99 Marmara University, Faculty of Communication, “Best Documentary Award”
• 2001 Gazi University, Faculty of Communication, “Best TV Program Respectful of Children’s Rights”
• 2005 Contemporary Journalists Association, Mahmut Tali Öngören TV Program Award
• 2012 METU Outstanding Service Award
• 2019 Süleyman Demirel University Honorary Doctorate
• 2023 Altın Safran Documentary Film Festival Documentary Cinema Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2023 Photo Correspondents Association Lifetime Honor Award