The Transformation of the Media System in Turkey

"With primary data spanning almost two decades The Transformation of the Media System in Turkey offers a much-needed critical analysis of Turkish media and politics. Rather than focusing on one medium or technology, the author shifts our attention to the interplay between regulation and political communication across the media sphere. In its rigorous depth and impressive breadth, this book's contribution goes well beyond the case of Turkey as it innovatively connects media systems theory with theories of citizenship and identity."

-Omar Al-Ghazzi, Assistant Professor in Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science

Yanardagoglu addresses the changes in the media in Turkey during AKP era through the prism of citizenship and communication rights highlighting the transformations in mainstream, minority and born-digital media from a fresh perspective. Her nuanced analysis provides readers with new insights about emergent journalistic practices and alternative media outlets. This book is a valuable guide for readers interested in global media systems, citizenship and communication.

-Bilge Yesil, Associate Professor, Department of Media Culture, College of Staten Island, CUNY

The book focuses on the changes that the media system in Turkey went through since early 2000s. Its perspective considers sociology of citizenship and focuses on processes such as Europeanization, de-Europeanization, authoritarianism on the one hand and implications of digitalization and convergence on the other. It tracks the transformation of the media system through the trajectories of normative, participative, and entrepreneurial citizenship practices. The final sections focus on aspects of convergence evidenced in bottom-up and participatory forms of digital media such as the birth of citizen journalism and fact-checkers after the demise of conventional mainstream media in recent years.

Eylem Yanardagoglu is an associate professor and head of the New Media department at Kadir Has University in Istanbul. She received her PhD at City, University of London Sociology department. Her research interests include digital citizenship, transnational news networks, online news consumption, journalism and transnational expansion of Turkish TV series.