Palestine in the turkish political islamist-oriented press: interpreting the 2024 Israel-Iran crisis through social media

Abstract

Introduction: This study examines the news content produced by Turkish Political Islamist-oriented press’s thought through quantitative content analysis and critical discourse analysis. Social media journalism, recognized as an emerging value in journalism studies, is the primary focus of this research. Methodology: The study examining the discourse of news on social media posits that news content, in this context, is predominantly centered around ethnic sectarianism. The analysis focuses on Twitter/X posts related to Iran’s failed attack attempt on Israel on April 13, 2024. The study distinguishes two models of social media journalism: influencer journalism and the social media representations of traditional media outlets. Profiles such as “@themarginale” and “@turankislakci” exemplify influencer journalists, while the social media accounts of Yeni Akit and Sabah newspapers represent traditional media outlets. The study analyzed 8 news posts shared by journalists within the sample group on April 13-14, 2024. Results: The findings indicate that social media news content from Turkish Islamist-oriented media representatives internalizes ethnic sectarianism, reflecting ideological biases. This content often amplifies divisive narratives, prioritizing ethnic and religious identities over objective reporting. Discussion: The study highlights the Turkish Political Islamist-oriented press’s tendency to frame the Palestine issue through an ethnic sectarian lens, revealing the problematic nature of its ideological stance. These ideological patterns significantly influence readers’ perceptions of controversial issues, underscoring the need for critical analysis of such discourse to understand its broader societal impact. Conclusions: The influential power of social media news highlights the necessity of analyzing such content.