Military Interventions and Press-Politics Relations in Turkey

Abstract

This study examines how the Turkish press has been changing its role of legitimizing military interventions in the 1960, 1971, and 1980 coups. Using a qualitative textual analysis of four major newspapers in Turkey-Cumhuriyet, Milliyet, H & uuml;rriyet, and Terc & uuml;man in a framework that combines normative media, media capture, and hegemony theories, this study demonstrates a critical change in press-state relations. The analysis shows that the press was originally a vehicle of military legitimation, with the 1960 coup being framed by the press almost exclusively as a corrective measure to restore democracy and order. By 1971, coverage took a sober, albeit still conformist, tone. In 1980, a major shift occurred, as even after severe censorship, newspapers started to show signs of silent opposition, through use of coded language and guarded editorials to tentatively oppose official accounts. This is not only a passive submission but also a gradual bargaining of independence, with the press playing a role both in supporting and, subsequently, challenging authoritarianism. The article adds a longitudinal dimension to the understanding of how media in hybrid regimes swing between ideological capture and social accountability, which can be used in other cases such as Egypt, Pakistan, and Latin America.