Australian Journalist Makes Waves with 'Furkan Derya' Column

One joke and many people jumping to conclusions.

When the Sydney Morning Herald quoted former Australian youth center employee Furkan Derya for a March 10 article, they did so without making any jokes. It was part of an ISIS-related news item.

Tim Blair’s March 15 piece for Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, on the other hand, is an opinion column and, as such, took some humorous liberty. Post-publication, many Twitter users were slack-jawed and conspiracy theorizing about this particular sentence:

I furkan derya to find a better name than Furkan Derya.

Those

AW+

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Spring Special

Save 30% Off an ADWEEK Subscription Today!

View Your Options

Already a member? Sign in