BETWEEN LEGITIMIZING AND CRIMINALIZING BOMBING CIVILIANS DURING WARS: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF WESTERN AND EASTERN MEDIA

Abstract

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is an interdisciplinary approach that studies language and its social context. It focuses on the reflection of power, ideology and inequality in discourse. CDA examines the role of language in contexts such as influencing public opinions and exerting control. As far as this study is concerned, Western and Eastern media have their differences in reporting news. We believe that they tend to hold a certain view over the other. In order to reveal the differences in reporting between them, we chose four news agencies which are CNN, BBC, Middle East Eye and Al Jazeera English. The main emphasis is on their titles on the civilians being killed in Gaza Strip. The incident happened in a camp of Palestinians who moved to the safe zones in the South as ordered by the Israeli forces. We found out that Western and Eastern media do not report the same incident in the same way. We believe that they use their discourse in order to influence the public opinion and encourage them to pick a side.

Keywords

• critical discourse analysis
• western and eastern media
• news reporting
• israeli-palestinian conflict

SAVAŞ SIRASINDA SİVİLLERİ BOMBALAMANIN MEŞRULAŞTIRILMASI VE KRİMİNALLEŞTİRİLMESİ ARASINDA: BATI VE DOĞU MEDYASININ ELEŞTİREL BİR SÖYLEM ANALİZİ

Abstract

Eleştirel Söylem Analizi (CDA), dili ve onun toplumsal bağlamını inceleyen disiplinlerarası bir yaklaşımdır. Söylemde güç, ideoloji ve eşitsizliğin nasıl yansıdığına odaklanır. CDA, dilin kamuoyunu etkileme ve kontrol mekanizmalarında oynadığı rolü inceler. Bu çalışma açısından, Batı ve Doğu medyasının haber verme tarzlarında farklılıklar bulunmaktadır. Batı ve Doğu medyasının birbirlerine kıyasla belirli bir görüşe sahip olma eğiliminde olduklarına inanıyoruz. Aralarındaki haber verme farklılıklarını ortaya koymak için CNN, BBC, Middle East Eye ve Al Jazeera English olmak üzere dört haber ajansını seçtik. Çalışmamızda ana vurgu, Gazze Şeridi’nde öldürülen sivillerle ilgili haber başlıklarına yapılmıştır. Olay, İsrail güçlerinin emriyle Güney’deki güvenli bölgelere gitmek zorunda bırakılan Filistinlilerin bulunduğu kampta gerçekleşmiştir. Batı ve Doğu medyasının aynı olayı aynı şekilde bildirmediğini gördük. Ajansların kamuoyunu etkilemek ve bir taraf seçmeye teşvik etmek amacıyla belirli söylemler kullandıklarına inanıyoruz.

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