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A Comparative Discourse Analysis of TRT World and Al Jazeera News Channels on the News Reports of the Syrian War

Year 2019, Issue: 57, 155 - 172, 31.12.2019
https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2019-0068

Abstract

In the last two decades, we have witnessed the rising of new international news networks such as Al Jazeera, Russian Today, and TRT World in order to challenge the main media corporations of the Western world like, CNN, BBC, and MSNBC, etc. particularly on the news regarding the Middle East. While the results of the Gulf War in 1990 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003 have made checks and balances on Western news associations necessary, Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based broadcaster, emerged as a remarkable voice by taking the role of a contra-flow news agency, and succeeded in producing different and original opinions within its region in the international news arena. In this context, this study selected a critical approach to TRT World, one of the recent news players in the region of the Middle East, in order to identify if it is achievable for the channel to bring a unique perspective on the news regarding the Middle East, as Al Jazeera has accomplished. A critical discourse analysis was conducted by analyzing the news reports of TRT World and Al Jazeera’s stories regarding the Syrian Civil War. However, the study results suggest that TRT World misses the claim of ‘‘new and accurate perspectives ‘to the international arena due to political factors.

References

  • A Truly Global Network. (n. d.). Retrieved December 22, 2018 from https://www.aljazeera.com/aboutus/
  • Azran, T. S. (2013). Al Jazeera, Qatar, and new tactics in state-sponsored media diplomacy. Journal of American Behavioral Scientist, 57(9), 1293-1311. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764213487736
  • Bahry, L. Y. (2001). The new Arab media phenomenon: Qatar’s Al Jazeera. Middle East Policy, 8(2), 88-99. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-4967.00020
  • Banerjee, I. (2002). The locals strike back? Media globalization and localization in the new Asian television landscape. Gazette: The International Journal for Communication Studies, 64(6), 517-535. https://doi.org/10.1177/17480485020640060101
  • Berglez, P. (2008), What is global journalism? Journalism Studies, 9(6), 845-858. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616700802337727
  • Boyd-Barrett, J. O. (1977). Media imperialism: Towards an international framework for the analysis of media system. In J. Curran, M. Gurevitch, & J. Woollacott (Eds.), Mass Communication and Society, (pp. 116-135). London, UK: Open University Press.
  • Country Reports on Terrorism 2017 - Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Kurdistan Workers’ Party. (2018, 19 September). Retrieved from https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bcf1f364.html
  • El-Nawawy, M., & Iskandar, A. (2003). Al-Jazeera: The story of the network that is rattling governments and redefining modern journalism. Colorado, USA: Westview Press.
  • Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and text: Linguistic and intertextual analysis within discourse analysis. Discourse & Society, 3(2), 193-217. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926592003002004
  • Figenschou, T. U. (2010). A voice for the voiceless?: A quantitative content analysis of Al-Jazeera English’s flagship news. Global Media and Communication, 6(1), 85-107.
  • Friedman, J. (1994). Cultural Identity and Global Process. London, UK: Sage Publications.
  • Galtung, J. (1971). A structural theory of imperialism. Journal of Peace Research, 8(2) 81-117. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/422946
  • Heinrich, C. D. (2008). The death of cultural imperialism and power too? A critical analysis of American prestige press representations of the hegemony of English. International Communication Gazette, 70(5), 378-394. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748048508094289
  • Lynch, M. (2005). Watching Al Jazeera. Wilson Quarterly, 29(3), 36-45. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/40233061
  • Lynch, M. (2006). Voices of the new Arab public: Iraq, Al Jazeera, and Middle East politics today. New York, USA: Columbia University Press.
  • Monitoring Media Pluralism in Europe: Application of the Media Pluralism Monitor 2016 in the European Union, Montenegro and Turkey. (2017). European University Institute, Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom. Retrieved from https://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/46786/CMPF-MPM_PolicyReport2017.pdf
  • Our Story. (n. d.). Retrieved December 24, 2018 from https://www.trtworld.com/about
  • Painter, J. (2008). Counter-hegemonic news: A case study of Al-Jazeera English and Telesur. Oxford, UK: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
  • Powers, S. (2009). The geopolitics of the news: The case of the Al Jazeera network (Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California, California). Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/556090/The_Geopolitics_of_the_News_The_Case_of_the_Al_Jazeera_Network
  • Ross, S. D., & Bantimaroudis, P. (2006). Frame shifts and catastrophic events: The attacks of September 11, 2001, and New York Time’s Portrayals of Arafat and Sharon. Mass Communication and Society, 9(1), 85-101. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327825mcs0901_5
  • Roy, S., & Ross, S. D. (2011). The circle of terror: strategic localizations of global media terror meta-discourses in the US, India and Scotland. Media, War & Conflict, 4(3), 287-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750635211420631
  • Schiller, H. I. (1992). Mass communications and American empire. Colorado, USA: Westview Press.
  • Seib, P. (2005). Hegemonic no more: Western media, the rise of Al-Jazeera, and the influence of diverse voices. International Studies Review, 7(4), 601-615. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/3699677
  • Siebert, F. S., Peterson, T., & Schramm, W. (1956). Four theories of the press. Illinois, USA: University of Illinois Press.
  • Sinclair, J., Jacka, E., & Cunningham, S. (1996). Peripheral vision. In J. Sinclair, E. Jacka, & S. Cunningham (Eds.), New patterns in global television: Peripheral vision (pp. 1-32). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
  • Schwalbe, M., Godwin, S., Holden, D., Schrock, D., Thompson, S., & Wolkomir, M. (2000). Generic processes in the reproduction of inequality: An interactionist analysis. Social Forces, 79(2), 419-452. https://doi.org/10.2307/2675505
  • Tatham, S. (2005). Al-Jazeera: can it make it here? British Journalism Review, 16(1), 47-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956474805053360
  • Thussu, D. K. (2007). Media on the move: Global flow and contra-flow. London, UK: Routledge.
  • Tomlinson, J. (1991). Cultural imperialism: A critical introduction. New York, USA: Continuum.
  • Tracey, M. (1985). The poisoned chalice? International television and the idea of dominance. Daedalus, 114(4), 17-56. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/20025009
  • Turkish TV station aims to switch western views. (2016, March 11). Financial Times. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/cd5d7f46-e77c-11e5-a09b-1f8b0d268c39
  • Ünal, A. (2016, November 21). TRT World Ceo İbrahim Eren: We will tell the truth, even if it is inconvenient or disturbing. Daily Sabah. Retrieved from https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/2016/11/21/trt-world-ceo-ibrahim-eren-we-will-tell-the-truth-even-if-it-is-inconvenient-or-disturbing
  • Volkmer, I. (2003). Global network society and global public sphere. development, 46(1), 9-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/1011637003046001566
  • Wojcieszak, M. (2007). Al Jazeera: A challenge to traditional framing research. The International Communication Gazette, 69(2), 115-128. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748048507074925
  • Yayın İlkelerimiz. (n. d.). Retrieved January 9, 2019 from https://www.trt.net.tr/Kurumsal/YayinIlkelerimiz.aspx
  • Zayani, M. (2005). The Al Jazeera phenomenon: Critical perspectives on new Arab media. London, UK: Pluto Press.

TRT World ve El Cezire Haber Kanallarının Suriye Savaşı ile İlgili Haberlerinin Karşılaştırmalı Söylem Analizi

Year 2019, Issue: 57, 155 - 172, 31.12.2019
https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2019-0068

Abstract

Son yirmi yıllık dönemde, özellikle Orta Doğu ile ilgili haberler dikkate alındığında, CNN, BBC veya MSNBC gibi Batı dünyasının ana medya kurumlarına karşı, El Cezire, Russian Today ve TRT World gibi yeni uluslararası haber kanallarının doğuşuna şahit olduk. Gerek 1990 yılında yaşanan körfez savaşının sonuçları, gerekse de 2003 yılında gerçekleşen Irak’ın işgali, bir anlamda Batı’nın haber kanallarının güvenilirliği konusunda denetim ve denge faktörlerinin incelenmesi durumunu zorunluluk haline getirirken, özellikle Katar merkezli El Cezire kanalı, uluslararası medya arenasında, doğduğu coğrafyaya ait haberlerde yeni ve ters yönde akım oluşturarak dikkate değer bir ses olarak ortaya çıkmıştır. Çalışmamız, bu bağlamda, Orta Doğu coğrafyasında hızlı bir şekilde öne çıkan haber kanalı olan TRT World’e eleştirel bir perspektif ile yaklaşarak, kanalın El Cezire örneğinde olduğu gibi, Orta Doğu ile ilgili haberlerde özgün bir yaklaşım getirmesinin mümkün olup olmadığı konusuna eğilmektedir. TRT World ve El Cezire kanallarının Suriye savaşı ile alakalı haberleri üzerine kıyaslamalı eleştirel bir söylem analizi gerçekleştirilmiş olup, bununla birlikte, araştırma sonuçlarımız TRT World’ün politik etmenler nedeniyle, uluslararası arenaya özgün ve doğru yaklaşımlar getirme iddiasını kaçırdığını ileri sürmektedir.

References

  • A Truly Global Network. (n. d.). Retrieved December 22, 2018 from https://www.aljazeera.com/aboutus/
  • Azran, T. S. (2013). Al Jazeera, Qatar, and new tactics in state-sponsored media diplomacy. Journal of American Behavioral Scientist, 57(9), 1293-1311. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764213487736
  • Bahry, L. Y. (2001). The new Arab media phenomenon: Qatar’s Al Jazeera. Middle East Policy, 8(2), 88-99. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-4967.00020
  • Banerjee, I. (2002). The locals strike back? Media globalization and localization in the new Asian television landscape. Gazette: The International Journal for Communication Studies, 64(6), 517-535. https://doi.org/10.1177/17480485020640060101
  • Berglez, P. (2008), What is global journalism? Journalism Studies, 9(6), 845-858. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616700802337727
  • Boyd-Barrett, J. O. (1977). Media imperialism: Towards an international framework for the analysis of media system. In J. Curran, M. Gurevitch, & J. Woollacott (Eds.), Mass Communication and Society, (pp. 116-135). London, UK: Open University Press.
  • Country Reports on Terrorism 2017 - Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Kurdistan Workers’ Party. (2018, 19 September). Retrieved from https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bcf1f364.html
  • El-Nawawy, M., & Iskandar, A. (2003). Al-Jazeera: The story of the network that is rattling governments and redefining modern journalism. Colorado, USA: Westview Press.
  • Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and text: Linguistic and intertextual analysis within discourse analysis. Discourse & Society, 3(2), 193-217. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926592003002004
  • Figenschou, T. U. (2010). A voice for the voiceless?: A quantitative content analysis of Al-Jazeera English’s flagship news. Global Media and Communication, 6(1), 85-107.
  • Friedman, J. (1994). Cultural Identity and Global Process. London, UK: Sage Publications.
  • Galtung, J. (1971). A structural theory of imperialism. Journal of Peace Research, 8(2) 81-117. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/422946
  • Heinrich, C. D. (2008). The death of cultural imperialism and power too? A critical analysis of American prestige press representations of the hegemony of English. International Communication Gazette, 70(5), 378-394. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748048508094289
  • Lynch, M. (2005). Watching Al Jazeera. Wilson Quarterly, 29(3), 36-45. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/40233061
  • Lynch, M. (2006). Voices of the new Arab public: Iraq, Al Jazeera, and Middle East politics today. New York, USA: Columbia University Press.
  • Monitoring Media Pluralism in Europe: Application of the Media Pluralism Monitor 2016 in the European Union, Montenegro and Turkey. (2017). European University Institute, Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom. Retrieved from https://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/46786/CMPF-MPM_PolicyReport2017.pdf
  • Our Story. (n. d.). Retrieved December 24, 2018 from https://www.trtworld.com/about
  • Painter, J. (2008). Counter-hegemonic news: A case study of Al-Jazeera English and Telesur. Oxford, UK: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
  • Powers, S. (2009). The geopolitics of the news: The case of the Al Jazeera network (Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California, California). Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/556090/The_Geopolitics_of_the_News_The_Case_of_the_Al_Jazeera_Network
  • Ross, S. D., & Bantimaroudis, P. (2006). Frame shifts and catastrophic events: The attacks of September 11, 2001, and New York Time’s Portrayals of Arafat and Sharon. Mass Communication and Society, 9(1), 85-101. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327825mcs0901_5
  • Roy, S., & Ross, S. D. (2011). The circle of terror: strategic localizations of global media terror meta-discourses in the US, India and Scotland. Media, War & Conflict, 4(3), 287-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750635211420631
  • Schiller, H. I. (1992). Mass communications and American empire. Colorado, USA: Westview Press.
  • Seib, P. (2005). Hegemonic no more: Western media, the rise of Al-Jazeera, and the influence of diverse voices. International Studies Review, 7(4), 601-615. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/3699677
  • Siebert, F. S., Peterson, T., & Schramm, W. (1956). Four theories of the press. Illinois, USA: University of Illinois Press.
  • Sinclair, J., Jacka, E., & Cunningham, S. (1996). Peripheral vision. In J. Sinclair, E. Jacka, & S. Cunningham (Eds.), New patterns in global television: Peripheral vision (pp. 1-32). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
  • Schwalbe, M., Godwin, S., Holden, D., Schrock, D., Thompson, S., & Wolkomir, M. (2000). Generic processes in the reproduction of inequality: An interactionist analysis. Social Forces, 79(2), 419-452. https://doi.org/10.2307/2675505
  • Tatham, S. (2005). Al-Jazeera: can it make it here? British Journalism Review, 16(1), 47-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956474805053360
  • Thussu, D. K. (2007). Media on the move: Global flow and contra-flow. London, UK: Routledge.
  • Tomlinson, J. (1991). Cultural imperialism: A critical introduction. New York, USA: Continuum.
  • Tracey, M. (1985). The poisoned chalice? International television and the idea of dominance. Daedalus, 114(4), 17-56. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/20025009
  • Turkish TV station aims to switch western views. (2016, March 11). Financial Times. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/cd5d7f46-e77c-11e5-a09b-1f8b0d268c39
  • Ünal, A. (2016, November 21). TRT World Ceo İbrahim Eren: We will tell the truth, even if it is inconvenient or disturbing. Daily Sabah. Retrieved from https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/2016/11/21/trt-world-ceo-ibrahim-eren-we-will-tell-the-truth-even-if-it-is-inconvenient-or-disturbing
  • Volkmer, I. (2003). Global network society and global public sphere. development, 46(1), 9-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/1011637003046001566
  • Wojcieszak, M. (2007). Al Jazeera: A challenge to traditional framing research. The International Communication Gazette, 69(2), 115-128. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748048507074925
  • Yayın İlkelerimiz. (n. d.). Retrieved January 9, 2019 from https://www.trt.net.tr/Kurumsal/YayinIlkelerimiz.aspx
  • Zayani, M. (2005). The Al Jazeera phenomenon: Critical perspectives on new Arab media. London, UK: Pluto Press.
There are 36 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Communication and Media Studies
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Şükrü Sim This is me 0000-0003-3579-6750

Fatih Göksu This is me 0000-0001-7107-3408

Publication Date December 31, 2019
Submission Date October 15, 2019
Published in Issue Year 2019 Issue: 57

Cite

APA Sim, Ş., & Göksu, F. (2019). A Comparative Discourse Analysis of TRT World and Al Jazeera News Channels on the News Reports of the Syrian War. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences(57), 155-172. https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2019-0068
AMA Sim Ş, Göksu F. A Comparative Discourse Analysis of TRT World and Al Jazeera News Channels on the News Reports of the Syrian War. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences. December 2019;(57):155-172. doi:10.26650/CONNECTIST2019-0068
Chicago Sim, Şükrü, and Fatih Göksu. “A Comparative Discourse Analysis of TRT World and Al Jazeera News Channels on the News Reports of the Syrian War”. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences, no. 57 (December 2019): 155-72. https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2019-0068.
EndNote Sim Ş, Göksu F (December 1, 2019) A Comparative Discourse Analysis of TRT World and Al Jazeera News Channels on the News Reports of the Syrian War. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences 57 155–172.
IEEE Ş. Sim and F. Göksu, “A Comparative Discourse Analysis of TRT World and Al Jazeera News Channels on the News Reports of the Syrian War”, Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences, no. 57, pp. 155–172, December 2019, doi: 10.26650/CONNECTIST2019-0068.
ISNAD Sim, Şükrü - Göksu, Fatih. “A Comparative Discourse Analysis of TRT World and Al Jazeera News Channels on the News Reports of the Syrian War”. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences 57 (December 2019), 155-172. https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2019-0068.
JAMA Sim Ş, Göksu F. A Comparative Discourse Analysis of TRT World and Al Jazeera News Channels on the News Reports of the Syrian War. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences. 2019;:155–172.
MLA Sim, Şükrü and Fatih Göksu. “A Comparative Discourse Analysis of TRT World and Al Jazeera News Channels on the News Reports of the Syrian War”. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences, no. 57, 2019, pp. 155-72, doi:10.26650/CONNECTIST2019-0068.
Vancouver Sim Ş, Göksu F. A Comparative Discourse Analysis of TRT World and Al Jazeera News Channels on the News Reports of the Syrian War. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences. 2019(57):155-72.