News 'fixers' are translators and guides who assist foreign journalists. Sometimes key contributors to bold, original reporting and other times key facilitators of homogeneity and groupthink in the news media, they play the difficult but powerful role of broker between worlds, shaping the creation of knowledge from behind the scenes. In Fixing Stories, Noah Amir Arjomand reflects on the nature of news production and cross-cultural mediation. Based on human stories drawn from three years of field research in Turkey, this book unfolds as a series of narratives of fixers' career trajectories during a period when the international media spotlight shone on Turkey and Syria. From the Syrian Civil War, Gezi Park protest movement, rise of authoritarianism in Turkey and of ISIS in Syria, to the rekindling of conflict in both countries' Kurdish regions and Turkey's 2016 coup attempt, Arjomand brings to light vivid personal accounts and insider perspectives on world-shaking events alongside analysis of the role fixers have played in bringing news of Turkey and Syria to international audiences.

Honourable Mention, 2023 Mary Douglas Best Book Award in Cultural Sociology, American Sociological Association

'… a thoughtful and immersive dive into the stories of fixers, the dilemmas they face and how they try to navigate cultural and media expectations.'

Usman Butt Source: Middle East Monitor

‘In this subtle and reflective book … Arjomand uses novelistic techniques - composite characters in carefully composed circumstances - to both protect his sources and convey a complex and fascinating world with wit, intelligence, and sympathy.’

Lisa Anderson Source: Foreign Affairs

‘… unique, original, and interesting … eye-opening … Highly recommended.’

R. W. Olson