Populism, Media and Journalism: The Guardian’s New Populism Series as an Example of Democratically Engaged Journalism

Year 2023, Issue: 10, 1 - 19, 20.06.2023

Hasan Faruk Uslu

https://doi.org/10.56676/kiad.1182985

Abstract

This article aims to focus on the Guardian's New Populism series, which seems to be very instructive in demonstrating the dynamic interplay between the concepts of populism, media, and journalism. Using the Guardian’s New Populism series as a case/sample study, this paper attempts to critically analyze media discourse, paying due regard to representation, and construction of identities and relations. Within this perspective, the Guardian series’ contributions to the contested concept of populism, the mechanisms used to achieve it, and the interests it serves for are the main issues at hand. This article argues that the Guardian's initiatives in the New Populism series can be approached in terms of democratically engaged journalism. Democratically engaged journalism is first and foremost a call for journalists to respond effectively to populism and to take responsibility for it. However, the Guardian and the team of populism experts behind the project have certainly inscribed into the liberal democracy in the series, which by and large seems to be the problem not the solution. The attempts to practice democratically engaged journalism has thus failed, culminating in considering all the opponents of liberal democracy as the enemies fed by populism.

Keywords

Populism, Guardian Newspaper, Media discourse, Democratically engaged journalism, Democracy-defense-industry

Popülizm, Medya ve Gazetecilik: Demokratik Şekilde Bağlanmış Gazetecilik Örneği Olarak Guardian’ın Yeni Popülizm Serisi

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı popülizm kavramı, medya ve gazetecilik arasındaki dinamik karşılıklı etkileşimi sergilemek anlamında oldukça yol gösterici olarak görünen Guardian gazetesinin Yeni Popülizm serisi üzerine odaklanmaktır. Guardian gazetesinin Yeni Popülizm serisini örnek olay incelemesi olarak kullanarak, makale temsil etme, kimlikler ve ilişkiler oluşturma girişimlerine gereken önemi göstermeye çalışarak medya söyleminin eleştirel bir analizine teşebbüs etmektedir. Bu çerçevede, Guardian gazetesinin Yeni Popülizm serilerinin tartışmalı bir kavram olan popülizm kavramına yaptığı katkılar, bu amaca yönelik olarak kullanmış olduğu mekanizmalar ve sonuç olarak hangi çıkarlara hizmet ettiği ele alınan temel meseleler olacaktır. Elinizdeki çalışma Guardian gazetesinin Yeni Popülizm serisindeki girişimlerinin demokratik şekilde bağlanmış gazetecilik doğrultusunda ele alınabileceğini ileri sürmektedir. Demokratik şekilde bağlanmış gazetecilik öncelikli olarak gazetecilerin popülizme karşı etkin bir karşılık vermelerine ve bu noktada sorumluluk yüklenmelerine yönelik bir çağrıdır. Bununla birlikte, Guardian gazetesi ve projede birlikte çalıştığı popülizm üzerine uzmanlar grubu seride büyük oranda çözüm olmak yerine sorun olarak görünen liberal demokrasi düşüncesi ile kendilerini bağlamıştır. Bu sayede, demokratik şekilde bağlanmış gazetecilik sergilemeye yönelik girişimleri liberal demokrasiye olan tüm muhalefeti popülizm tarafından beslenen düşmanlar olarak telakki ederek bir başarısızlık ile son bulmuştur.

Keywords

Popülizm, Guardian gazetesi, Medya Söylemi, Demokratik şekilde bağlanmış gazetecilik, Demokrasi-savunma-endüstrisi

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