Human rights news reporting in Turkey in the 1990s

Ataman, Gulden 2024. Human rights news reporting in Turkey in the 1990s. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

The 1990s in Turkey witnessed the proliferation of human rights discourses and their widespread violation. “Back to the 1990s” became a critical “frame of reference” that journalists evoked to make sense of what happened after the peace process ended in 2015, indicating that the 1990s has continued to leave its mark in the memories of journalists as a significant period. Against this background, this study examines the reporting of human rights in Turkey in the 1990s. In empirical terms, it presents findings from semi-structured interviews with journalists and representatives from human rights organisations, as well as a focus group meeting with journalists. The analysis of how the study’s participants negotiate the boundaries of journalism in their recollections of reporting human rights in this period is informed by conceptual models of metajournalistic discourse (Carlson 2016) and boundary work of journalism (Lewis 2012; Carlson 2015). This study argues that journalism practices similar to human rights journalism emerged in Turkey as a "practical response" to widespread human rights violations in the 1990s. According to the study, some interviewees perceived their journalism practices in the 1990s as human rights journalism and viewed defending human rights as a journalistic duty aimed at giving vulnerable groups a voice, bringing visibility, and solving human rights problems. Their involvement in such reporting was largely driven by the widespread human rights violations they witnessed and experienced as journalists, as well as their compassion for the victims of these violations. They covered political, economic and cultural violence. This study also shed lights on the impact of reporting human rights violations on the interviewees' understanding of credible news sources. They viewed some state institutions and public officials as obstacles to accessing information and victims, while regarding some human rights organisations as collaborative partners in their investigations. Additionally, the study found that left-leaning, pro-Kurdish, and foreign media outlets were supportive of human rights news reporting in Turkey during the 1990s to varying degrees. Overall, this research highlights the significant contribution of human rights news reporting in Turkey during the 1990s to the struggle for human rights. By giving voice to the grievances of those exposed to human rights violations and bringing visibility to these issues, some journalists challenged the dominant journalistic practices of the time in Turkey and helped to promote a more just and equal society.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Journalism, Media and Culture
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	6 September 2024
Last Modified:	24 Oct 2024 10:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/169575

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