Press ethics and practice of journalism in Turkey: “A case study on Turkish journalists' self evaluation of their codes of practice”

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2006
Köylü, Hilal
This thesis examines the practice of the profession of journalism in Turkey and whether the fundamental ethical codes and standards of journalism are being honored in the contemporary market-driven media sector. While media owners have consistently used the press as an instrument in the furtherance of their interests, this problem has been aggravated by the recent concentration in media ownership. The perception of readers as ‘consumers’ has put a premium on entertainment and sensationalism while jeopardizing basic journalistic values. Forced to practice a type of journalism different to the model which drew them to the profession, many journalists have lost pride in their work along with confidence in the ability of the media to fulfill the public right to information in a democratic society. The thesis begins with an overview of the emergence of the ethical codes and practices of the profession before focusing on the Turkish media and the implementation of the various codes of practice and regulatory procedures which have been developed in Turkey. v The basic issue in media ethics is the morality of those in the sector and the compatibility of journalism and ethics. In order to ascertain if Turkish journalists believe these standards are being maintained, extensive interviews were undertaken with a sample group of a 114 journalists, comprising new and veteran reporters, editors and members of editorial boards. The study confirms that ethical codes and standards are not being followed in the Turkish media because of commercial constraints underlined by increasing concentration in the sector. Keywords: Turkish media, ethics.

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Citation Formats
H. Köylü, “Press ethics and practice of journalism in Turkey: “A case study on Turkish journalists’ self evaluation of their codes of practice”,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2006.