Attitudes Towards Press in Today’s Turkey: How Death Thoughts and Political Tendencies Effect Support for Free Press and Free Speech

Year 2019, Volume: 11 Issue: 18, 1996 - 2018, 30.06.2019

Gül Esra Atalay , Bahar Muratoğlu Pehlivan

https://doi.org/10.26466/opus.557391

Abstract

Having inspired by “The
Mortality Muzzle: The effect of death thoughts on attitudes toward national
security and a watchdog press” article by Cuillier et al. (2010), the current
study aims to examine the effect of mortality salience and political tendencies
on attitudes of university students in Turkey towards free press and free
speech. Original study’s aim was to understand how Terror Management Theory’s
predictions effect people’s attitudes towards a watchdog press. This study,
aims to conduct a similar research in Turkey, understand how the stated factors
work in Turkish culture, and see how results differ. Study was conducted in
with a total of 110 university students (%61 female, %37 male, %2 unstated)
taking various undergraduate and MA courses from communication faculty of a
foundation university in Istanbul Turkey. Besides Terror Management Theory,
results are discussed according to Turkey’s specific conditions at the time
data was collected, and participants’ political tendencies. In addition, possible
reasons for the differences in results are specified.

Keywords

Terror Management Theory, press freedom, watchdog press, mortality salience

Günümüz Türkiyesi’nde Basına Karşı Tutumlar: Ölümle İlgili Düşünceler ve Siyasi Eğilimler, Basın ve İfade Özgürlüğüne Desteği Nasıl Etkiliyor?

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı,
Cuillier ve diğerleri (2010) tarafından kaleme alınan “The Mortality Muzzle:
The effect of death thoughts on attitudes toward national security and a
watchdog press” isimli araştırmayı Türkiye’de tekrarlayarak, ölümlülüğün
belirginliğinin ve bireylerin siyasi eğilimlerinin, Türkiye’deki üniversite
öğrencilerinin basın özgürlüğüne ve ifade özgürlüğüne karşı tutumlarını nasıl
etkilediğini incelemektir. Orijinal çalışmanın kuramsal dayanağını Dehşet Yönetimi
Teorisi oluşturmuştur ve çalışma, söz konusu teorinin öngörülerinin, kamuoyunun
bekçi köpeği rolünü üstlenen basına karşı olan tutumları nasıl etkilediğini
anlamaya çalışmıştır. Bu çalışma ise, Türkiye’de benzer bir araştırma yapmak,
aynı faktörlerin Türkiye kültüründe nasıl işlediğini anlamak ve sonuçların
nasıl farklılaştığını görmek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Araştırma, İstanbul’da bir
vakıf üniversitesinin iletişim fakültesinde, çeşitli dersleri almakta olan 110
üniversite öğrencisi (%61 kadın, %37 erkek, %2 belirtilmemiş) ile
gerçekleştirilmiştir. Sonuçlar, Dehşet Yönetimi Kuramının yanı sıra,
Türkiye’nin bu çalışmanın verileri toplandığı dönemde var olan özel koşulları
ve katılımcıların siyasi eğilimleri ile birlikte tartışılmış ve farklılaşan
sonuçların olası sebepleri araştırılmıştır.

Keywords

Dehşet Yönetimi Teorisi, basın özgürlüğü, basının bekçi köpeği rolü, ölümlülüğün belirginliği

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