Edgar Whitaker

Abstract

This study takes up the subject of the Journalist biography of Edgar Whitaker, one of the three editors of The Levant Herald (1856-1914), extending from London to the Ottoman Empire, while giving particular focus on his adventurous journey as a publisher since under his editorship The Levant Herald contributed to the formation of the political opposition to the Hamidian regime (1878-1909). The study addresses Whitaker’s ongoing struggle against suppression, censorship and closure penalties that were imposed by the Ottoman government. His effort served to spread the journalism tradition within the Ottoman Press. The study also gives attention to the political, social, and cultural relations that Whitaker as a journalist of British nationality established with the Ottoman government, the British embassy, and the European Levantine communities.